Heady
by Nga Aroha
Summary: An unspeakable discovery leads to a new player in a prophesy. Raven has to do the unthinkable to keep the world safe - set Malchior free. Will this end up being the best, or worst desision of her life? Or will all this be moot when the world ends?
1. Build up

**I have edited alll the chapters because upon reading through them I was struck by how horrific the grammar, spelling, syntax and blah blah blah was. I had to stop reading several times. So I fixed it and can now honestly say I love this story. I hope you readers do too. I will be replacing the old ones with them one and a time, and once I'm done I promise to update :)**

* * *

**Heady**

_1. Potent, intoxicating_

_2. Likely to cause conceit_

_3. Impetuous, violent._

He hadn't seen her for several years now, not that several years was particularly long in his lifetime. Yet something about the last several years made it feel as if it had been a century since those fathomless violet eyes had pierced him, scared his brain, and stored him away in the book once more.

Not that Malchior, the mighty dread-dragon/powerful Mage couldn't escape the weak but well-meaning bindings of the pretty little demon girl. Yes, he could break them with a simple incantation any time he wanted. If he was angry, just the intention of saying the words might have been enough. But the thing was, he didn't want to. Even though it was driving him so insane he wished someone would burn the book with hell fire and let him die, it was still a better fate than the one awaiting if he should get out again.

Raven's release of him last time was proof that no matter how hard he wished to return to earth as a human, he had gone in as a Dragon and would come out as one too. It had only been fast spell work and the luck that his human feelings for her had translated into Draconian need to play with his food that had saved her and her friends from death, and next time it would be different. Next time she wouldn't be so lucky.

It would tear him apart to be responsible for her painful death, when she had gone through so much already. And it would be very painful, the Dragon inside him had already decided. All that was cruel and bitter inside him would not let a woman who dared reseal him inside Rorek's prison get off lightly. After years of abstinence, the Dragon inside him would make up for lost time by making the first kill as brutal as possible.

Raven had already had to deal with so much pain already. He had heard her, after she had locked him up again. Crying hysterically, muffling the sounds with her pillow. The sobs had felt like burning arrows with a direct path to his heart. His precious Raven, who he had taught so lovingly and cared for so deeply, was hurting because he couldn't help what he was. Because he had been too foolish to foresee what would come of his release, of not telling her the truth about what he was. If he'd known she was demonic then, he wouldn't have felt the irresponsible urge to pass himself off as a complete human. It only rubbed salt in the wounds that later he overheard her telling the boy-wonder of her heritage - she was just like him, a half-breed and ashamed of it. Now she was under the impression that he was nothing more than a heartless dragon, when really that was progressively a smaller and smaller part of him as the years passed. She thought she never meant anything to him.

If only Malchior had found the strength to risk it all and tell her then.

She wouldn't have been repulsed by what he was, that he was sure of now he knew her origins. Even though their circumstances were different, she being born of a demon and he asking, no, _begging_, to become a Dragon in all it's glory, she would have understood.

Now it was all ruined. Of course it would have been ruined anyway, unless telling her had brought his attention to the fact he had no choice but to emerge from the book the monster he was forced into it as. If he did what was right, and never saw her again, she would be safe.

But he couldn't do that.

Because he was selfish, a monster. Because a part of him had always been evil. Because he was going insane under her paper-thin bindings, a poor replacement for Rorek's iron-clad imprisonment spells. He had never met a girl like Raven before. So eager to learn, so easy to teach. So... enchanting. After so many years alone, it would have been enough for her to have been female. Yet instead of simply that, the first person to open his book in two hundred years was a woman he knew had to be his soul mate, if there was such a thing. Their meeting felt divine, engineered by the gods.

The decision was ripping apart what was left of his conscience. Malchior was, quite frankly, disgusted at his willingness to put her life in peril. She was a young woman with so much ahead of her, yet he couldn't help feeling entitled to the chance to love her again. He couldn't stop thinking about her, day and night without the sleep the living were blessed with, straining to hear her move about her room. Wishing he was strong enough to resist the urge to dismember her once he became free.

It drove him even madder as the days wore on after his release and it took all his strength not to escape the book the first few nights after. But, listening to her sobs, Malchior resolved to wait until she had calmed down. He wouldn't be able to handle her terrified face if he moved on his plan too quickly. He put the deadline at five years from the date a week after she had sealed him back in the book. Five years, and he would come for her with every intention of appearing to her as a man and sweeping her up in his arms. Five years to mentally prepare himself to fight the very nature of magic and leave the book in the form he was born to.

There was a very real chance he would fail, and murder her in Dragon form before he had his mind together. Yet after seeing so much carnage in his life, often at his own hands in the later years, what was one final piece of hell? If he thought of his life as the storybook he'd presented it to Raven as initially, either ending seemed right. In the ending he wished for desperately, he was rewarded for centuries of torture in this hell-hole Rorek banished him to with the perfect woman. In the ending that was most likely, their story would become just like every other great tragedy.

If it happened, if he murdered the last person on earth he wished to harm, he would treat her with respect. Bury her, leave her friends be if they were, by some miracle, unharmed. After that, he did not know. Perhaps kill himself. From his books he knew this world was not the one he'd left behind, and even the thought of Raven's death filled him with guilt.

It was the only plan Malchior could make, for the likelihood of him emerging from the book after five years as a man was too minuscule to hope for. He'd done the unthinkable before, had become a feared and powerful Dragon after all, despite humble beginnings. But that wasn't bending the very laws of magic.

Malchior sighed without a sound and tried to go back to reading his book on the Wall Street situation. Nowadays, books could not hold his attention for very long. The economic jargon blurred before his eyes and he closed his eyes, picturing that silken curtain of violet hair obscuring those unfathomable violet eyes as Raven went about her day.

* * *

She had loved him so much. He had made her feel special, wanted even. She had felt like he was uncovering her potential with every compliment, every spell they weaved together, the way an archaeologist gently brushes at a fossil to get rid of the dirt. Malchior was charming, better than anything she'd ever boldly dreamt about becoming hers. But then so was Cyborg, to a lessor degree.

And both had betrayed her.

At least Malchior had ripped the band-aid off quickly. Cyborg had taken a few years before he'd decided to pull the end away. He had done it gradually, so slowly she had barely noticed, her empathy all tied up in_ love_. Love for Cyborg, love for her friends, love for life. Trigon's downfall had left Raven to blissfully wallow in her feelings, clogging up her ability to sense the emotions of others. If she had, she would have known what was coming. She would have felt Robin's awkward unease, Beastboy's suspicion and then muted happiness for his best friend, Starfire's ignorance and then her bitter-sweet reaction. Most of all she would have felt Cyborg's enormous regret for starting their relationship in the first place, coupled with hope they could make it out of this as they had entered; brother and sister, the best of friends. More important than anything else, she would have felt his love for that pink-haired criminal.

Jinx. The source of all her troubles. Well, not all, but for the last seven months…

That stupid whore ruined every thing Raven had worked hard for. Her control, her power, her standing in the team and her 'wonderful' two-year relationship with Cyborg. At least _she_ had thought it was wonderful. Obviously not wonderful enough, not for anyone but her. But how was Raven to know? Up until her father's death she had not been able to laugh for fear or killing those around her, and suddenly she was thrown into a situation where she could do all those things if she only learnt how. No one else had censored their emotions from birth, so she had the experience of an infant when it came to understanding her own feelings, let alone everyone else's. How was she to know that simple pleasures, like the feeling of comfort, were not enough for other people?

By the time she realised what was going on, it was too late. Cyborg was already gone and the rest of the team supported his happiness one hundred per cent, just as she expected them too. Which still didn't stop it hurting when Robin inducted Jinx as a full-time member of the Titan's days after he caved in and told Raven what was going on, since Cyborg hadn't the guts to break up with her himself. What infuriated Raven more than what she felt was a blatant disregard for her feelings, was Robin's decision to team up with a known "ex" criminal. Jinx's powers were of bad luck, for Azar's sake! Did they really need that in their home?

Of course they did.

Because everyone just loved Jinx. It was like Terra got re-incarnated . She loved to go shopping with Starfire, and train with Robin as much as possible, and play video games all night long. And she was fucking Cyborg, so that was that. One day Jinx was there, standing where Raven had once stood. Only she did a better job of it, without the crippled emotions and all.

Raven's standing in the team had changed. She had lost her respect and become the lonely, twisted, bitter one. More so than she had ever been before. Now she was to be avoided, the one who made meals awkward with her presence. If she walked into the room the conversations stopped. Not that Robin, Starfire and Beastboy didn't try and help her out. They invited her for Pizza whenever Cyborg and Jinx went out on a date but she often declined. She could feel their guilt. It wasn't their fault Jinx was simply more fun to be around. After a few months spent almost exclusively in her room, Robin had asked her if she wanted help. As in, psychologically.

Of course she did, but what therapist in the world was equipped to handle _her_ daddy issues? Or her Dragon issues, or her part-man, part-machine, part-asshole issues? She declined and made an effort to appear okay that wasn't fooling anyone.

She was feeling lost, and seeing the catalyst for her relationship's deterioration every time she ventured outside her room wasn't helping. The demon inside was struggling with Jinx being so close to her everyday, and everyone once in a while she would loosen her bindings so a little more of _her_ seeped into Raven. A defence mechanism.

One she didn't know she had until Robin had told her about Cyborg's betrayal. Cyborg was so mad at him for telling, but Raven was truley grateful. He had spared her uncountable weeks of embarrassment. That very morning she had bounded up to Cyborg in her post-daddy-apocolipse dream-like state and kissed him, telling him, in the most perky way she could manage (which meant she had an ironic smile on her face), that she had been accepted for a job. Saying things like "You've got a working girlfriend," and "Now _I'm _bringing home the bacon". The memory made her cringe. The entire team had known by that point. Cyborg had been out with Jinx the night before, and Raven would bet all her money that he had already been sleeping with Jinx by then.

Raven didn't do sex.

So Robin had caught her after she came home from her first shift, before she went into Cyborgs room to say her ritual goodnight. He'd sat her down at the kitchen breakfast bar, where she was now, to say something important. That Cyborg was in love with Jinx. Raven took it pretty well at that point, thinking he must be mistaken. That would be a betrayal and we were talking about Cyborg here! Raven's Cyborg. Not hers_._ _Ravens._

So she went to find him. And she did. Only he and Jinx were on his bed, saying their own version of goodnight. She wanted to kill Jinx so badly then. In fact, she almost did, pinning her up against the wall and practically inhaling her blood until her head was dizzy and full of smoke. She was going to slit her stomach open with the claws she never knew she had, and then she was going to watch as that pathetic little heart beat slower and slower in that tiny chest of hers, while the blood pumped out over the carpet. And then Raven was going to use it to paint a pretty mural on Cyborg's wall, to remind him of it later.

Like the ticking time bomb of a lunatic they all knew she was.

But she'd forgotten all about Cyborg standing behind her and before she could hurt his precious Jinx she'd been pushed out the door. He had seen the intent in her eyes, and knew she had to snapped out of it. At the time she was only half glad he did. But now she was immensely so. If in that moment she had allowed Jinx to make her snap and go back on what she had sworn to fight against, Raven would never have forgiven the disgusting creature she was.

To this day Jinx was still weary of Raven. No matter how long their relationship lasted, Raven doubted she'd ever be able to forgive them. If the opportunity arose she didn't know if she would even get rid of Jinx. The team liked her and truth be told she was a help in missions. And as far as Raven knew, she hasn't said a bad word about her to anyone and mercifully she nor Cyborg mentioned her lapse of control to Robin.

But Raven still hated her for driving the wedge between Cyborg and her. She wished wholeheartedly they had never gotten together in the first place, and was sure he felt the same.

Her pride rested on not being pushed around, not being what her father intended; a thing, a door. So she never talked to either of them, and pretended they don't exist as much as possible. Whenever she is forced to acknowledge them, she does it with with coldest look possible in an effort to convey all the hatred and hurt they made, and still make, her feel inside.

So now they sit, called for a meeting by the bringer of bad news, in the common room. Robin was looking more forlorn than usual, commanding all their attention for once.

"The chief of police just called." he began slowly, only to be interrupted by Beastboy in his usual fashion.

"Dude! The police never talk to us!" he exclaimed from beside Raven. Jinx nodded in agreement, stupid pigtails bobbing in a way some would call adorable, but Raven called asking for a beheading.

"Usually they pretend we don't exist" she added, still nodding her head. After seven months out in the open, Cyborg and Jinx had moved past trying not to rub the entire thing in Raven's face to not giving a damn, so Jinx was sitting in his lap. Raven glared at them though they couldn't see her. Her hood was obscuring the top half of her stormy face. She was sure they felt it though.

"What is it?" She cut in. They were right- the police only ever called when they needed their help. Robin's head tilted slightly so it faced her. His eyes looked tired, even that much was clear behind the mask. When he spoke, his voice was low and sombre.

"The police got called to a disturbance at the docks last night. It wasn't an emergency call, and they were under-staffed so they didn't have the man power to check it out until this morning. When they got there they found a bunch of dead bodies,"

Everyone was silent, the wonder at the police calling fading, but the wonder at why they would need their help in a murder case increasing. They just didn't _deal_ with that side of the crime world. They wern't equipped for it.

Robin sighed.

"There was a lot of…occult stuff around them. It was unusual." Raven froze.

It couldn't be real magic. There was no one in Jump that had that kind of knowledge. She calmed herself, blowing a breath of stale air out of her mouth. The police would not recognise real cultist signs or rituals. Some crazy person had probably snapped and drawn a pentagram in the blood. Still, her stomach lurched at the thought of someone killing innocents. People who had families, friends. She shuddered inwardly and waited for Robin to continue.

"They want us to come in and check it out. They thought, and so do I, that Raven and Jinx would be able to help. They also thought we might recognise some of the things they left behind." Robin finished, with the air of someone who was very relieved to stop talking.

"They think it was a villain we know?" Raven asked incredulously.

That was another impossibility. The only person they had ever faced who was a regular in Jump and had the sadistic tendencies needed for killing someone was Slade. And he had never showed interest of any kind towards magic, bar the time he worked for her father. And even so, they hadn't seen him in a long time. No, this was likely someone new. The thought chilled her blood.

Robin shook his head, but not in a way that said no.

"I have no idea Raven, but I think the rest of us should come even if it has nothing to do with any of our usuals. I don't want you two to have to see that alone." he said sombrely, ignoring the fact she would never go anywhere alone with Jinx anyway

"Actually I have really got no idea about cults or anything." Jinx put in. Raven ignored her and sunk back into her thoughts.

Someone new must have come on the jump scene lately. Robin made it sound like they knew what they were doing. But he couldn't be very sure. How many people? How many was a bunch? More than two, that was a couple. A few was three. But a bunch? Seven? Four? And why? From the sounds of it, they had left a message. But for who? It was a possibility the killers had known the Titan's would be called in, so they'd intended for them to see it. The kind of person who would slaughter a group of people just to send a message didn't bear thinking about.

"Raven?"

"Huh?" she flicked her head back round to Robin, who was staring at her with a concerned expression on his tired face.

"Are you ready to go now?" Beastboy asked shakily. The idea of going to see carcasses scared him. Sure, it shook her up a little, made her angry and overwhelmed her empathy with strange feelings that she couldn't tell were hers or not. It shook her up a lot, if there was someone feeling strongly about it near her. She could burst out into tears, now that she was free from her father and the need to quell emotion, because someone close was grieving. But it would be one of the first they would have seen in there lives. And even Robin, who she knew had seen death from the connection in their minds, would be messed up a little while afterwards. It would probably remind him.

"I just need to collect a few things." she said emptily. Raven was dreading this. She slipped off the seat and floated through the wall and into the hallway. It was less crowded than the lounge obviously, but it wasn't the space from her team mates that she craved. It was the space from their minds. Space was a different matter for her than other people. For everyone else, it was external. For Raven it was in the air. The air in the hallway was devoid from other peoples feelings. Robin's constant attractions to Starfire were always weighing heavily on her mind. Every time they were in the same room together she would feel this intense longing to go over and touch her alien friend. It had really freaked her out until she could pinpoint the source as Robin and learn how to shut it out a little.

Back there the air was thick with dread and worry. No one really wanted to go down to the docks and examine them. But they didn't have to, Raven did. She fazed into her bedroom and looked around. Her bed was still unmade, twisted sheets from her tossing last night. She had dreamed of a room, but couldn't remember any of the details.

She walked over to the far wall and undid the concealing spell cast over the hidden room there. It was more like a large closet, joining to her room through an archway even she couldn't see with the spell in effect. To the untrained eye, it looked and felt like her wall. Her spell was one of the strongest she had ever come across, possibly due to the driving force that possessed her when she made it. If anyone ever found these items…

She swept her eyes over the room, taking an unconscious inventory of the contraband. Her cursed jewellery; caged in a sort of Pandora's box. Her collection of weaponry; made of pure silver with a coating of gold dust, specifically designed for her use. The chest which held Malchior's book; chained and reinforced by many of her overlapping spells. Her expansive stores of ingredients; most of it perfectly legal in mystic law, but some items considered rare, dark and positively noxious. Azar had gifted her most of the jewellery, all of the weaponry and the latter of the potion ingredients. Raven had never wanted these things from her but it would have been an insult to Azar's memory to simply refuse them or chuck them away, at least in her culture. If it was found her demon ties would become known and it could be easily assumed she was doing wrong with them. The jewellery she had yet to look fully through- She had stopped straight away when she spotted the prayer beads- and doubted she would ever finish.

She pulled a handful of tiny vials from the ingredients, a small dagger from the weaponry and a pouch full of holy water and placed them carefully in a small leather bag. She hoped that would be all she needed and gladly left the room, reactivating the spell as she went. The plaster and dove grey paint melted back into view, as if the secret room had been a terrible mirage. Clutching the bag protectively like someone was going to jump out and steal it, Raven teleported back into the kitchen. Starfire and Robin were the only ones in there and she felt like she had interrupted something private. They were sitting next to each other very closely, eyes staring into the other's. Robin's were searching for something, and Starfire's were trying to reassure him. Raven didn't get all this from the looks they were sending each other- the feelings seeping from their pores helped as well.

"Ahem." she coughed innocently. It was better to be light and positive while they still could. Robin jumped but Starfire turned to face her, a big smile plastered on her beautiful features like it always was. This was why Raven didn't want her to come.

"Eh, Hi. Raven." Robin said slowly. Each of his hands were placed flat down on his thighs. The stiffness was an indication of his nerves.

"Are you prepared for our investigation?" Starfire asked cheerily. Robins masked face fell.

"Yes, but I don't think you should go." Raven replied, letting a little emotion swell her voice so Starfire would know how strongly she felt. Instead of looking confused, Starfire turned angry. It was almost like watching a child really, except Starfire was much stronger than your average angry schoolgirl.

"Not you as well friend Raven! Why must I be aside? I am part of the team, yes?" she demanded, in the sweet way Starfire could.

But there was a very important reason she couldn't come along. Chances were, they were going to be seeing some very upsetting things today, and Starfire was the only one among them who had yet to see a dead body, and still possessed total innocence. The others, except for Jinx whom Raven had no idea about, had all had some terrible tragedy lead them to becoming a Titan. Starfire was just here. Someone like Starfire, who thought the best of everyone, wouldn't recover from witnessing violence like this. In short, if she went, she wouldn't come back the same.

"Its not that your not part of the team Star, it's just that we don't want you to see it." Robin half-yelled, slapping his hands on the bench in frustration. Raven could see they'd had this conversation already.

"But why is that Robin?" Starfire asked angrily.

"Because it is very likely these people would have been hurt very badly and we don't want you to be disturbed by seeing it." Raven answered for him. Starfire turned to her.

"But what if you get disturbed by seeing it, Raven?" she asked, much less angry now she knew they didn't think she was incapable.

"I've seen these things before, Starfire, it won't affect me that badly. And besides I have to go. I have to find out what the signs mean. You don't have to be there." She also didn't want Beastboy to go, but he was probably more equipped for this than she was. Starfire brightened immediately.

"But I will go to support you Raven! It is what girlfriends do!" she smiled. Raven was sure her magazines hadn't said _If your friend is going to the scene of a multiple homicide, go with her! It will be a great bonding experience._

"Starfire-" Robin began wearily.

"No Robin. It is my duty to be there for my friends." she declared, with a hint of steel in her big emerald eyes. Robin and Raven shared a look of fear, frustration and concern. No one would be able to stop Starfire now she had got it in her head that she would be supporting Raven through something difficult. Raven faltered.

"Fine, lets go." she said dejectedly. They both slid off their seats to join her in heading swiftly to the garage, Robin walking slower than Starfire and her, sulking. Not that Raven was happy either. No matter how much she complained about Starfire's naivety, it was what she loved about her friend the most.

"All right titans," Robin addressed the whole group, pulling his motorcycle helmet from a shelf. "We might have to see some pretty gruesome stuff out there so I just want to tell you none," he paused and looked piercingly at Starfire, who was already belted into the T-car beside Beastboy. She smiled dazzlingly back at him, but for once, he didn't melt. "of you have to come today. You _can_ sit this one out."

His efforts were useless, she opened her empathy up as wide as it could go and found everyone determined. It was almost painful to use her empathy purposefully. Suddenly she was filled with a twitching to get going, like someone had shot her with adrenaline. A headache started to form at the base of her skull for her efforts. Feelings seeped out of people, from the very pores on their skin, like paint fumes. If there were strong emotions around her, it felt noxious. Funerals made her pass out unless she concentrated on her thoughts alone, even if they were just passing one in the car.

She let her senses draw back on themselves, and the feeling siphoned away like water, taking her headache with them. Soon, her own emotions were the only ones she could feel. Cold, dreaded anticipation and curiosity mingled in her chest.

"We'll be fine!" Beastboy said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Yeah man. Lets go and get this over with." Cyborg said quietly. Robin's mouth formed a hard line, but he nodded fiercely and dropped his helmet on. Raven slid into the t-car, still clutching the bag, and did her belt up. Cyborg jumped into the driving seat and Jinx skipped in gracefully, taking Raven's old spot in the front seat. _Stupid, pink-haired, no-good -_

"Titans move out!" Robin roared, and kicked his R-cycle to life. He revved it expertly and rode out of the garage, eyes road-bound. Cyborg nodded, to himself, and started the engine.

"Lets go Baby!" he muttered coaxingly and made a swerving turn to swing the body round and follow Robin out onto the road that connected us to Jump.

"I thought I was your baby." Jinx laughed from _her_ seat. Raven rolled her eyes and released her grip on the bag to pull it out and survey its contents.

The dagger Raven actually liked. It was made especially for her, the gold for the Demon, the silver for the human. It worked with her magic. She don't know what would happen of anyone else tried to use it. It was... pretty as well, she guessed. Perfectly polished, its gold coating luminescent. It was short but tapered into a needle point at the very end, almost half its length taken up by the diamond encrusted hilt. The diamonds made a ruin sign, the sigil for peace. It was always sharp, no matter what. She picked it up and weighed it on her finger. It balanced there as if responding to her will.

"Oh!" Starfires eyes bulged when she saw it.

"What Star?" Cyborg asked, his eyes trained on the road before him.

"Jeez Raven! What are you planning to do with that thing!" Beastboy exclaimed, leaning forward to see past Starfire. Jinx flicked her head round to see what they were on about, and her eyes widened significantly.

"It's a knife." Raven said dryly.

"Its _one heck_ of a knife." Beastboy corrected her.

"It was a present from my mentor on Azarath. Its my _favourite_ knife." she explained with a small smile playing on her lips. In the years since Trigon, she'd gotten used to the feeling of her lips curving upwards, but it still felt a little uncomfortable. Cyborg laughed nervously from the front, causing Beastboy to fall into his own pearls of laughter. She tilted the blade so it caught the light.

"It is very Beautiful Raven." Starfire breathed beside her. They pulled up at the docks ten minutes later to greet the salty sea air. The kind you could taste because it was so potent. The police and crime scene investigators had erected a large white tent next to the rusty old warehouse, covering the carnage. The gulls were hanging around, and it dampened the mood a bit to think they were here to feed. Robin pulled off his helmet and set it on the seat of his R-cycle, his hair still suspiciously in place. Raven wondered where he hid the huge vat of hair gel he just had to have to keep it that way.

He walked up to a weary and sick looking balding man in uniform with a shiny police badge and a clipboard.

"Chief Dane?" he asked. The man sighed and shook his head, pointing to the door of the tent. Robin walked and his team followed, each step leading them closer to death, literally. The thought weighed ominously in Raven's mind. "Chief Dane?" Robin asked.

"Yes." he answered gruffly, as if he didn't want anyone to hear. The Chief was tall and muscled, with a black moustache and in his mid-thirty's.

"Robin, of the Teen Titans." he stuck out his hand, and the chief eyed it suspiciously. Finally he took it in his own, for as short a time as possible.

"Look kid, if your team aren't able to handle it, don't take them in. I've already had two grown men that had to be sent home, crying and throwing up." he finished, frowning at the nerve of some people, being upset by murder.

"I don't know about the others, but I'm fine. When can we go in?" Raven cut in, wanting it over with. He stared at her for moment, considering. She waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the damp and soggy ground. Finally he sighed.

"If you're so eager, head in now. But don't touch anything! I've got photographers in their collecting evidence, so don't get in any of their shots." he grumbled, a man who clearly had no other choice than to let them in, since he was the one to make the call. For once, the Titans hadn't meddled in the police force's affairs. They police had meddled in theirs. The thought almost made her want to laugh. Robin nodded professionally and held the tent flap open. They filed in, Raven at the lead.

* * *

**Oh my god! What's inside the tent? What horrific R-16 scene has besmirched the sacred wooden planks of upper Jump city'****s shipping docks that would make an unhappy and unwilling Chief Dane to call on his mortal enemies, the Teen Titans? **

**If you don't review, you will never know.**

**C'mon people, up my self-confidence.**


	2. Yum, corpses

**I'm back for more, anyone who is reading this. **

**This chapter may be pushing the rating. Do not read if you don't secretly like gore a little bit. **

* * *

Raven froze. Breathing suddenly became difficult as her mind struggled to remember how. Several stage lights stood around, emitting heat and lighting up the tent for the CSI photographers like this was a shoot for a television show. She heard a collective gasp behind her.

Twelve bodies lay on the dock floor under the shelter of the tent poles and canvas. They had been placed in the formation of a circle. Dragged there, by the looks of the dark stains of dried blood marring the salt soaked wood. No, not a circle, a sun. They were all lying spread-eagled on the backs, their heads in the heart of the sun shape and their legs making up the rays. Mostly men, but a few woman, ranging from in their teens to middle-aged. All skinny, with incredibly flat stomachs. By now they looked stiff and grey, like all the colour had been sucked from them with their lives. They stared in the general direction of the tent ceiling with glassy eyes, like they were waiting for a sign from God.

They had been killed quickly at least, and in Raven's eyes that was important. They all had snapped necks, evident in the way their heads were lying at odd angles. None of them wore shirts. Behind her someone, probably Starfire, burst into tears. But Raven was not the most terrified she had been since coming face to face with the end of the world because of that.

It was the markings upon each one of their pancake-flat stomachs that horrified her to the core. To the police, it would have looked like satanic symbols, for they didn't understand their peaceful origins. But this was not a passive act, this was _sadistic_. On each of the bodies a word had been carved neatly, in her native Azarathian tongue. She recognised the first word on a gangly teenage boy with staring eyes as _"Enjoy", _and felt too sick with dread to carry on reading. No Azarathian could have done this, but few outsiders knew the symbols and signs that made up their alphabet.

Which meant the message was for her. No one else in North America, maybe even earth, knew how to speak or write it. And it had been left it in _her_ City, a quarter of an hour away from where _she_ lived, knowing s_he_ would find it. Was this a threat? Oh Azar, if it was why couldn't they have just written her a letter?

Years of practise kept her face stoic, but the horror at what lay in front of her had her slumping to her knees before the sun. Someone put their hand on her shoulder and she spun her head around. It was Beastboy, his face a paler green than was healthy for him, almost white. Starfire was crying into Robin's shoulder while he played the protective male and hugged her to him, his face hard, hating whoever did this. Jinx mimicked the position. Though she wasn't crying, as far as Raven could tell, just leaning into Cyborgs chest to shield her eyes. Cyborg was looking at Jinx though, like he wanted to take her home. Beastboy was the first to speak.

"I know, it's hard." he whispered, though they all heard him in the silence. _He didn't understand!_

"That's-its not! Its…not it!" She managed choke out. They all turned their attention on her, Jinx peeking from behind Cyborg's arm. _None of them understood! The innocents had died for magic!_ It wasn't a simple, human matter of passion. Raven turned away and stood up, starting to read. She started at the door, with the gangly teenager. Moving around the circle, mouthing out the words.

_Enjoy. My. Darling. Raven. And. Know. I . Shall. See. You. Soon. Enough._

Her vision started to cloud and standing became difficult again. She swayed, about to fall, but someone caught her. Robin.

"It's alright Rae. Just stay still and the dizziness will pass." he said quietly. Her feet wouldn't co-operate with her mind. She willed them to root themselves but they just scrambled around, slipping on the wood. She definitly would have fallen if Robin didn't have her round the waist. The contact was embarrassing, but needed.

"Who would have thought Raven was squeamish." she heard Beastboy mutter quietly.

"I'm not Squeamish!" She gasped when she found she could talk again.

"It's okay Raven, this would shake up anybody." Cyborg said reassuringly. She glared. His time to comfort her ended seven months ago.

"Yeah Raven, I'm freaked out too." Jinx added unhelpfully.

"It's not the bodies!" Raven spat angrily, anger at the couple allowing her to finally find her usual voice. Her feet found level ground and she stood up. Robin stayed close in case she fell, but he folded his arms. She appreciated that. She appreciated _him _and the way he was silently waiting for an explanation rather than comforting her.

"Okaay." Beastboy said. He had taken over the role of comforting Starfire, who had proven she shouldn't have come.

"It's what's on them!" Raven moaned, kneeling once more. A photographer caught her eye and looked at her sternly. A warning not to touch. She snarled at him, not caring that her demon characteristics were showing a little too much. The man looked away quickly, and exited the tent with a speed-walk. Comprehension began to dawn on the team's faces, and their eyes turned to the markings. Robin dropped beside her as she reached out to touch the closest corpse.

The deceased's cheek was ice cold and the same colour as Raven's- pale grey. _Enjoy, my darling Raven and know I will see you soon enough. _The skin felt like rubber, almost fake, but it couldn't be, because it was still full of blood and fluid. She took a shaky breath.

The bodies were a _gift._ To her_._

That meant whoever left them knew she was a demon. _Knew_ that a part of her wanted to _eat_ these people. She retched but hadn't eaten anything in the last 24 hours, so wasn't able to vomit out all the ugliness inside her.

"What is it Raven?" Robin urged. She ripped her eyes from the markings and placed them instead on his face.

"It's Azarathian." She whispered. The others leant in closer to hear.

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked.

"Those aren't symbols, they're words!" She moaned. Suddenly, they understood. Except for Jinx.

"Huh?" she asked, irritatingly. No one paid her any attention.

"What does it say?" Beastboy asked in a whisper. Raven didn't want to say it out loud. They would think she was a monster, something evil. Rather, they would finally understand the truth about her.

"Raven?" Starfire asked, her voice small.

"It'll be fine Raven. What does it say?" Robin said, his voice as serious as ever. Nothing more, nothing less. She took a deep, soothing breath. She muttered her mantra in her mind.

"Enjoy. my. Darling. Raven. And. Know. I. Shall. See. You. soon. Enough." she finally managed to choke out, pointing to each body as she spoke the corresponding word. Matching the English words to their beautiful Azarathian counterparts, carved in angry purple lines on the skin of innocent civilians. _Tai'la nai la'cara lenoq et neer nei profis tei implique undula. _There was a dead silence. She realised her own body was shaking, and pulled her cloak tighter around herself, wanting someone to yell, scream, accuse her instead of this quiet. No one did. Obviously they did not understand what the message meant.

"I think we should go." Robin said finally in a low voice. Suddenly Raven remembered what she had come here to do. She pulled out the pouch of holy water from her bag. When she reached in to grab it, it burned her skin like hot steam. Demons could not touch holy water, but she was only half so with a small amount of pain she could wield it. She sprinkled it over the bodies, chanting her mantra as she did it. Hopefully they could rest now. No more evil could touch them. And she could not eat them even if she wanted to. That was important.

Shakily, she let Robin lead her out of the tent. Once the bodies were no longer in view, she felt fine again. She straightened up, fixed her expression and emotions back to normal. The Chief was coming over to see what they made of the gruesome scene, his expression that of a grumpy child who had to eat his vegetables to get desert. Raven walked back over to the T-car, leaving Robin to deal with it. Starfire and Beastboy were already there. She slid in beside them and felt the sudden tiredness this ordeal had thrust on her. She sunk deeply into the cushioned seat and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what the message means?" Robin asked. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't hopeful. She had traded one seat for another, now on the squishy couch that felt like it was swallowing her. She burrowed into it, hoping for warmth. Wishing she could disappear in between the cushions forever.

"Yes." She replied unhappily. They had not gone crazy back at the docks because they did not understand that gift was food! She didn't want it, true, but if she had, she could have _eaten_ the _dead bodies._ Robin did a double take.

"What do you mean you know?" he exclaimed. Raven rolled her eyes, a tiny bit thankful for the bit of normalcy he had just given her.

"I mean, I know. It was obvious. The dead people were a present. For me." Raven said darkly, glowering at empty space. Because there was no one here to be angry at but fate, the invisible force that dogged her.

"Say what?" Cyborg said from the other couch. Jinx was staring at her, her catlike eyes narrowed. Maybe she understood. When Robin spoke, his voice was low and disbelieving.

"And why would anyone think you wanted twelve corpses?"

Raven laughed. It was a high, unnatural sound that put the others on edge. Robin twitched but tried to disguise it by crossing his arms. She sighed after the outburst, her nerves vibrating inside her skin. Now or never.

"To eat. And it's not even my birthday." She admitted grimly. Her shoulders tensed, waiting for retribution. Robin and the others just stared. Beastboy laughed nervously.

"But Raven, I do not understand. You do not eat people." Starfire commented, concerned. Raven looked back into Jinx's eyes and saw no confusion. Jinx would have no trouble believing Raven could rip someone to shreds. Jinx knew she was not just the troubled soul the team saw when they looked at her.

"I don't _want_ to. At least, not right now, in control, in human form." Beastboy gapped at her.

"Dude." was all he could say.

"But your not…you know." Cyborg started. "a Vampire." he finished sheepishly. Raven sighed again. It was a drag having 'friends' that didn't understand magic and its creatures.

"No, I'm not. It's completely different. One. Vampires don't exist. Two. They _thirst_ for _blood._ They crave it and need it to survive." She paused while they all stared, hating this attention. "Demons actually consume flesh, the whole body. They even chew on the bones and use them later one, for jewllery and keepsakes I'd imagine. But many don't unless its already there. They don't need it, and I certainly don't want it." She finished angrily. Angry at whoever left it, angry at herself, angry at fate.

What pissed off god had decided she deserved this?

"Uh, ok." Beastboy summed up. Raven laughed again, in a mixture of unease and morbid humor.

"And you guys thought you'd seen the worst when you met my father. Now you know, I'm a bigger monster than you thought I was. Just as bad as him" She muttered bitterly. The words stung on the way out, little needles of truth. Starfire gasped.

"No friend Raven! You are good." she insisted.

It was no use arguing. Raven knew Starfire wasn't scared of her. She had too much faith, coupled with beleif in the inate good of everyone. The others would pretend her being able to consume flesh didn't bother them, but it would be bubbling under the surface.

"Yeah, Rae, you work harder at it than any of us." Cyborg confirmed, nodding fiercely. Her heart twinged painfully, the memory of the ache there. She raised her eyebrows skeptically but said nothing. She remembered a time when his words had made her feel safe, and mourned for its loss.

"They're right. We know you aren't… like that. But one thing. What was up with the 'My darling Raven thing'?" Robin asked awkwardly.

_Nai la'cara_ _lenoq_, the words flashed in her mind.Another thing that had been bothering her. Who would say such a thing? The only one to ever call her something that affectionate had been Malchior, the callous Liar. It gave her chills to think about it.

She sat upright on the couch with a sigh, and then stood up.

"That part made me think it was someone crazy." She said, and unsurprisingly, everyone nodded. She couldn't help but feel a little offended. She was no Beauty Queen by most standards but she wasn't a _dog_. She glared. "but then when you take into account that the message was written on _corpses_… Insanity is a give in." she trailed off. Robin frowned.

"But if they were insane already, what's to stop them killing people anyway?" he asked.

Raven glared at the implication you must first be insane to find her attractive. .

"Yeah man, maybe they thought they were like, declaring their love for you in a unique way." Beastboy snickered. She aimed her glare at him.

"Except they knew that I was a demon, so it couldn't have been a psychotic fan. And the message was written in _my_ language. Barely anyone on this dimension is even aware of Azarath and as far as I know, I'm the only one who's ever lived there. So I doubt a fan could have learnt Azarathian, killed twelve people _-by themselves-_ and inscribed a love letter to me." she said sharply. This was bigger than they thought. Beastboys smirk fell off his face.

"Ok. Right." he muttered.

"But what about the part where he said-" Robin was cut off by Beastboy.

"-you don't know it was a he." he laughed. Raven shot him a murderous look and turned back to Robin. Jinx laughed lightly. Robin sighed.

"the part where he-she-whatever, said you'll be together soon enough?" His tone matched her thoughts.

It was so ominous - a promise, a threat. So concrete a statement it made her blood run cold. It sounded like they had information she didn't. Not knowing who they were was killing her internally. Because, by the sound of things, they knew exactly who she was.

"I don't know." she said quietly, her eyes downcast. Someone was after her, willing to kill to get her attention. This was bad for the whole city, and without her it never would have happened. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Do not worry Raven. We will not let anyone take you away." Starfire said kindly as she floated over to her. Suddenly, she was trapped in a iron-cast hug.

"Thanks Starfire!" Raven gasped out, before all her breath was cut off. Starfire pulled back, beaming, and she was able to catch her breath. She fell back down to the sofa, unable to stand much longer. Starfire sat down beside her. Instinctively she curled up, letting her thoughts run where they wished.

This person was not a fan, but still obviously insane by some degree. They had lots of strength, possibly assistance and a goal. Raven. But not really her, demon Raven. This person not only knew about her demonic blood, but was happy about it. Not furious or terrified. A demon hunter wanting her dead, she could deal with. But someone who craved her dark side would be a force to contend with, someone evil.

"You'll be fine." Cyborg told her, in a voice that was meant to be reassuring. But it wasn't his place. It was no ones. If someone wanted to take her there would be no-one who loved her so much they would die to stand up for her. Everyone was all tied up in neat little pairs, unable to help for fear of their other half being compromised. If this escalated, Raven would have to go by herself. Cyborg should know to leave her alone. He had forfeited his right to be her friend.

"Of course I will." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ah, good old sarcasm. It made her feel at home. A slice of comfort in a world of confusion.

Cyborg grimaced and stood up, Jinx mimicking him. He smiled down at her and tucked his arm over her shoulder. The height difference was reminiscent of the one they had once, with both Jinx and Raven just reaching his shoulder.

"I know!" Starfire interrupted suddenly, as an idea struck her. "We will go to the Mall of shopping! It will cheer even you up Raven!" she cried. "Friend Jinx, do you wish to come along?" she asked, child-like enthusiasm lighting up her face. Raven thought she had given up on taking her there. Jinx seemed to be looking for an exit. Shopping with Raven would come too close to being _friendly. _Neither of them wanted that, it was an unspoken agreement. Raven too racked her brain for an appropriate excuse. And happened upon one.

"Shit, work!" She exclaimed. Starfires face fell comically and Raven jumped up. "Sorry Starfire, I forgot." and it wasn't a lie. She _really_ was late for work. Her shift had started fifteen minutes ago. Jinx breathed a sigh of relief and Robin chuckled behind her. The bad mood was lifting, the sight of death not seeming to have as much of an effect on them as Raven thought it would.

"We will go tomorrow?" Starfire asked in a hopeful voice, her face brightening. Raven looked around helplessly, torn between her hatred of shopping and her wish to keep Starfire's mind off the twelve sun corpses.

"Fine." She sighed unwillingly. "but I'm going _now._"

Starfire beamed and Jinx grimaced. Raven knew Starfire would rope Jinx into coming along as well as she did. She turned and fazed through the wall, catching sight of Robin's grateful smile before she did so. She smiled in spite of herself. They took the news she was a flesh-eating monster with a maniacal stalker on her back better than she had.

* * *

"What?" Raven demanded. Carrie was staring at her, her brown eyes concerned, her black uniform making her red-hair seem more vibrant than usual.

"You don't look so good." she said as she held up her hands as a sign of peace. She was right. Raven had changed hastily into work clothes in about two minutes then teleported straight into the back room, panting from the energy it took. Her purple hair, longer than it had any right to be, was all messed up and her black apron was tied in knots she wouldn't be able to undo later. Carrie had barely looked up, she was so used to teleportation by now.

"I know, I forgot I was working today and I was in a rush." Raven explained, smoothing her hair down. She was suddenly glad of the mall trip tomorrow, it would give her a chance to get it cut. The only pro she could imagine, compared to the long list of cons she found herself writing subconsciously.

Carrie straightened up and handed her a thin brown hair tie. She gratefully took it, having left hers on her bureau. While Demitri didn't scare her, She had no desire to deal with him today. Carrie frowned.

"No, it's not that." she said thoughtfully. "- though your hair is a mess." she added as an afterthought.

"Thanks." Raven said sarcastically while trying to force her hair in a ponytail_._ This increased her bad mood.

"You're welcome. But you look even paler than usual. If that's humanly possible. You're so grey you're practically purple. Did something happen?"

Damn Carrie. She was medium height, Caucasian, and very pretty with her short, choppy red hair. She was also extremely perceptive and knew how to get Raven to talk. Outside of the Titan's, she was the closest thing Raven had to a friend.

"No, nothing." She lied - she was very good at that. And then clamped her mouth shut.

The coffee shop she worked in was probably what you would call the opposite of Starbucks. Everyone who ever came in here held obvious contempt for the chainstores that kept popping up along the streets, taking over. Hating it was also a work requirement. It was called 'The Wall' and while not exactly Gothic, didn't scream quiet tea room either. The colours were mute, mostly brown, except for the large blue Spanish style doors. The menu was…_different. _The uniform was made up of all black. Black pants, black shirt, black apron, whatever colour canvas shoes and black socks, if any. Hair tied up was a requirement that Demitri, the manager/boss/owner insisted on. Along with being slightly intimidating, no blond hair, and being on time.

Suddenly Demitri appeared from behind the door, his face stormy, as if her thoughts had conjured him.

"Oh! So you've finally decided to show up." he snarled. He was very young to be owning a place like this, and mildly attractive, but when he got stressed he was an asshole and Raven didn't find him appealing in the slightest.

"Yes." She said simply. Carrie snickered then continued to try and re-tie Ravens apron strings for her.

"And why were you so late?" he fumed, as always infuriated at the first sign his workers didn't respect Raven didn't really need this job, at least, the Titans didn't. Being a Titan didn't pay very well at _all_ and only seemed to cover the things they actually needed but weren't covered in their government funding, such as shampoo.

Yes, government.

_Cough, Bruce Wayne, cough._

But Robin didn't know that.

This job was so she could actually have saved some money once the Titans weren't together. She knew it was only a matter of time before they all got too involved in there own lives to live together. At least, before the others got too involved in their lives. Sooner or later Robin would get his act together and ask Star on a date and Jinx and Cyborg would tire of Raven's glares and move out. Beastboy probably had some secret girlfriend he was too scared to introduce to our little family, because we were all so damaged and unable to interact like normal people.

"You don't want to know." Raven stated ominously, crossing her arms over her chest. Demitri faltered, and then decided. He had asked too many questions once before, and ended up being hauled in by the police for questioning over how much sensative information he had access to.

"Fine. But get out there now!" he barked, and disappeared. Carrie burst out in laughter. Raven grimaced and then sighed.

"Lets go." Carrie followed her out into the shop. It was mostly populated by a group of punks today. They were much louder and more forward than the Hipsters and Goths who mostly sat around being ironic/depressed. And much more obnoxious. Carrie beamed. She _liked_ being hit on.

Raven took her place behind the counter and waited. Carrie went and busied herself with wiping the small table they were converging around, having taken almost every chair in the room and placed it there. Those tables were expensive, made from black marble to match the floor. Which is why the chairs were made of cheap wire and not bolted in place. The punks were laughing, their mixes of hair-dye making their group look absurdly like a human rainbow.

One of them, their 'leader' and the ice blue part of the rainbow, stood up and meandered over to the counter. He wore a cocky smile on his face and Raven returned it with a bored look and a raised eyebrow.

"Hi." he started off. Smooth. Carrie was wiggling her eyebrows at her suggestively from behind his back. "What's your order?" She asked emotionlessly, drumming her fingers on the counter in a continuously soothing rhythm. Carries eyebrows jiggled faster and higher. Raven wondered if she would ever gain that much control over her own eyebrows.

"What can you offer?" he asked, implying something.

"Why don't you read the sign?" She replied coolly.

"I'll have a coffee." He said, without even glancing away from her face. Raven sighed. That could mean anything. Pippa, a new-age hippy girl with a crazy glint in her eye that sometimes worked before her shift had added things like 'Wheat bean coffees with a belladonna shot' and 'Hot butterscotch lattachinos'.

"What kind?" She asked blandly.

"Whatever you want baby." She stared at him disbelievingly.

"Okay. Fine." She replied automatically. The faster she made it, the faster he would have to leave her alone. She made him a plain black coffee, the easiest thing on the menu, and handed it over. He started to speak again, but she ducked under the counter to grab extra sugar packets. "$4.40." she said indifferently. He raised his eyebrows in amusement. Raven appraised him. He was quite good-looking, his ice-blue hair framing his pretty-boy features.

"Sure." he said slowly, and she noticed a tongue stud. He handed over a note.

"Keep the change." he smiled wryly at me.

"50 cents? Wowey" she mumbled. That much was not going to get her a deposit on an apartment when she had to leave the tower. He laughed and she caught another glint of the piercing.

"Names Aaron." he offered. "What's yours?" he was persistent.

"My name-tag says Raven. You can't read, can you?" She asked, slightly pissed off at his never-ending grin.

"Hi, Raven."

"There are some wonderful adult illiteracy courses at the community centre." she answered.

He grinned wider, and scooped up his coffee.

"I'll remember that. See you later Rae-Rae." he waved as he walked back towards his table of laughing friends. She narrowed her violet eyes at his retreating back.

"Niiiicccceee" Carrie half-sang.

"Stop that." Raven snapped irritably.

"What? He's _hot. _I would be on that in a New York minute."

Carrie was sweet, but she was kind of a slut. She also wouldn't have a problem with anyone saying that, as she did herself at least once everyday.

"No, stop appearing out of thin air." she mumbled, wiping the counter with a tea towel. Raven didn't like being snuck up on. Carrie scowled.

"Like you can talk."

* * *

By the time Raven got home it was dark. Beastboy and Robin were sitting on the couch watching TV. She noted Cyborgs absence and assumed he was probably fucking Jinx in some dark corner of the Tower.

"What's up?" Beastboy asked, doing a weird combination of a sniff and a nod. She narrowed her eyes at him and headed for her room. She had just crossed the threshold into the hallway when the shrill alarm went off. She closed her eyes and backed into the common room.

This was just what she needed to make it the day from hell.

Robin was already at the control panel of the big screen computer. He quickly typed on a few keys, a look of intense concentration on his face. She knew he was thinking about the bodies. What if this was the same type of thing? The alarm cut off mid-shriek.

"Who is it?" Beastboy asked worriedly. Robin scanned the screen.

"Red-X" he said swiftly. She grimaced. Robin wouldn't let her change due to his obsession with catching X. She ripped off her apron and joined the collective group forming in behind Robin.

"Come on. We're going to get him this time." Robin said determinedly, his jaw set. He swivelled around on his chair and glanced at her. "No time to change Raven. Titans move!"

* * *

**If anyone's read ****Undiscovered****, you'll notice I like coffee shops. And strange beverages.**

**Oh, and sexy Malchior is coming very soon to be all sexy and such. Next chapter even. Maybe.**


	3. My brother, Blood

**Heady**

_1. potent, intoxicating 2.__likely to cause conceit 3. impetuous, violent._

* * *

Yesterday was nothing. Today was the _true_ day from hell.

"Raven this will go wonderfully with your hair!" Starfire cried, holding up a pink pair of skinny jeans. "and friend Jinx, this will go wonderfully with yours!" and then, horrificly, she pulled a coat hanger out of nowhere holding the exact same pair, only in purple. She was trying to co-ordinate them.

The girls in question stood at opposite ends of a rack, Jinx trying to pretend this wasn't awkward, and Raven trying to ignore her. _Stupid slut._ Her anger raged, only that emotion was joined by a collection of other voices. Jealousy, despair…

"Purple's not my colour Star" Jinx said gently.

"And I really _hate_ pink." Raven added, so venomously she felt her eyes might have flashed red for a split second. _Where did that come from?_ Jinx narrowed her own eyes, as if she had just caught the change.

"You are right Raven. These colours do not suit your depressing personality. We must go and find some more!" Starfire cried cheerfully. She put the jeans down and practically skipped out of the store, earning some appreciative stares from a few men hanging around outside. In fact, many men were staring. Wherever they went (and they went to almost every store) there was an assortment of teenagers ready to wolf-whistle, or shout things. It must have been a slow day. Most of them, Starfire didn't understand. But Raven got the feeling they weren't there just for Starfire. Jinx had her own fanbase made up of two very different groups: boys who liked 'bad girls' and Religous types who liked to use her as the posterchild for redemption to appeal to the young crowd. Raven supposed she also might have been a draw, as a bit of a novelty for American men. Exotic looking with violet hair and her scarlet Charka, she was no bubbly girl next door even in civilian clothes. She hated staring at herself in the mirror, seeing the potential of what could be. If her hair was a little longer, her expression a little more _expressive_, she would look... sultry_._ Like a demon. she couldn't do that. It would be just one more similarity between her human side and the side she was trying to deny existed.

It didn't help that one of her emotions, desire probably, kept making her try clothes on.

It was simple. A black, short-sleeved, low-cut sweater-like shirt. It was soft, with a strange, wool-like feel to it. Instantly, desire spoke up.

_Get it._ **No**. Raven scolded mentally, though she found herself twisting to see the different angles of her body in the mirror. The curves of her breasts, hips, and lower back all flattered.

It made her look more streamlined, yet, it still showed off a little too much cleavage for her to be comfortable with. She knew she was…'gifted' with rather nice chest. But her cloak and long-sleeved/high-cut leotard combo was designed to counter that, make it invisible. It would be too much of a target otherwise. Those disgusting comments aimed at Starfire would be sent in her direction instead, only Raven had no angry Robin to beat the shit out of criminals for saying them. This, _this_ was too much for her. Any other girl wouldn't consider it inappropriate, but would realise it was cut this low for a reason. It was nice…but it wasn't her.

Anyway, she would never wear it.

_You could wear it to work._ Said a voice nonchalantly from the depths of her mind. She was startled. It wasn't desire, but _logic._

_You can wear anything black to work, it only makes sense that you should wear this._

Logic couldn't lie, she was an emotion. But now she was all for looking nice as well?

Raven couldn't argue with her.

"Are you coming out?" Jinx asked impatiently. She shouldn't have spoken. Her voice made Raven feel angry. Cyborg had chosen Jinx over her. Let him deal with the repercussions.

She pushed the changing stall door open and stepped out. Instantly, Starfire clapped her hands together and jumped up and down, a big grin on her face. She had chosen a pink pair of shorts and a white, high collard shirt. Jinx was wearing a star-spangled red and blue mini skirt. The boys were hiding behind a rack of clothing, eyeing them. But with Starfires clapping, their attention shifted, and made Raven the focus.

"Woohoo!" one called out from behind it, to have his head thumped by a friend. Raven cringed. The sales clerk was talking, blushing excitedly, to one of the men, not taking notice that her customers were being harassed.

"It is most glorious Raven!" Starfire exclaimed, beaming. "You must get it!" Despite herself, she blushed faintly. The boys were starting to get to her, their feelings and desires made apparent by the slightest crack in her empathy. She wanted to get out of the shop.

"I'll get it…but only for work." She said quickly, before she could let herself talk her out of it again. It was confusing. Before she thought she was trying to talk herself into it and now she thought the opposite. Who's side was she on?

That was a stupid question. She knew who's side she was on. Her own!

Raven glowered and headed back into the changing room, about the take the shirt off, when Starfire grabbed her. Starfires in-human strength pulled her up to the counter.

"What are you doing?" she dead-panned. Starfire shoved her onto the counter, the noise waking the sales-girl from her daze. She blushed and picked up her scanner.

"You must wear it now!" Starfire laughed. It wasn't funny. She felt like a child as the girl scanned the tags and then cut them off. Raven paid with cash and waited for the others to pay for theirs. This was bad. A small step, but a step nonetheless. She did not enjoy this multiple personality crisis she was experiancing.

"Pamper time!" Jinx singsonged to Starfire. Raven glared at the people loitering in her path and they moved hastily. Who was she doing this for? Herself? If so, then which part?

She wondered if she had schizophrenia. She heard voices, and they told her to do things, filled her with urges, gave her advice, held conversations… suddenly, a familiar group of teenage boys fell in their path.

"Cyborg!" Jinx said warmly, rushing up to hug him. Beastboy made a sharp whipping sound and hand motion before being whacked on the back of the head by Cyborgs metal fist. He continued to snicker anyway, despite the painful bump he would be developing. Cyborg pulled away and examined Jinx up and down. It made Ravens skin crawl to watch. Starfire bounded up to them, and she ambled.

"It that skirt new?" Cyborg asked, looking pleased with himself. That hurt for two reasons, the first being that he noticed at all. But of course, he had always noticed, even when Raven was with him. It also hurt because usually they tried to keep all this disgusting flirting away from her to spare feelings. Today no-one was bothering.

"Yes." Jinx sighed, as if relishing her good-luck. Raven rolled her eyes, happy that she could still do so through the emotional turmoil the sight of them put her through. It was a testiment to the strength of her emotional control.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked slowly, getting to the point so they didn't have to wade through all this _love._ For a change, they looked at her. And were surprised.

Cyborgs was the most comical. His mouth dropped open and he let out a little "uh?" of surprise. Jinx frowned and Raven felt her heart swell dangerously with hope. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Robin just stared, his eyes wide as if he were still trying to work out who she was. Raven had been right to hide her body from everyone these past years. Her Mother had been correct when she had said it was a weapon. The swell in her heart faded, and was replaced by homesickness, now of all times. She missed her mother most of all, but Arella couldn't stand earth, not with all the bad memories.

"Dude." Beastboy whispered, his eyes as wide as Robins. It seemed all her was capable of saying these daysl

"Well?" Raven demanded, feeling a little amused at the situation. It was ironic.

The only person who wanted her was probably a sociopath, who she knew liked to bring her dead bodies, and she was bemusing all these people with her looks even though they thought she was incapable of a relationship. It was the demon in her that was enjoying it. That was their way, the male and female. Her father had done it, when he had pretended to be human. All demon kind were good-looking in different but extremely potent ways if they tried. It was just the laws of nature, like how flowers have bright colours to attract bees and Angler Fish have lights to attract prey.

Her lure.

"Uh, we just.." Robin regained himself. "We needed to buy some stuff so we thought we'd join you." he added a little defensively. Starfire beamed and clapped again.

"Glorious!" she grinned. Jinx pulled away from Cyborg.

"We were just going to the salon…" she trailed off, hinting. Beastboy put his hands up.

"Okay, okay. We'll meet you here in an hour." he insisted, a terrified look on his face, his pointed fang-like tooth protruding from his mouth. Raven rolled her eyes again. It was as natural as breathing.

"Glorious!" Starfire said again, and then sauntered up to Robin, not even aware of what she was doing. That was part of Starfire's allure - she didn't even know the effect she had. Raven had yet to see a mann(or woman) remain unfazed by Starfire's combination of beguiling naievity and gorgeous looks.

"Do you like my new outfit, friend Robin?" Starfire questioned, much too close for Robin to contain his feelings from Raven's empathy. Suddenly she felt awkward, stumbling and incoherent. Robin's emotions. Not hers.

"Uh, it great Star." he mumbled, trying not to look her in the eye. Starfire's face lit up at the complement.

"Thank you!" she blushed. Raven couldn't stand it any longer.

"Lets go" she said loudly and started walking in the direction of the hairdressers. The boys watched them go curiously but started to walk away in the opposite direction.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. The girl that tended to her had multiple piercings and flaming orange hair, so she knew that Raven wouldn't be going blond any time soon. And it wasn't because Demitri would fire her. The woman just trimmed the front locks, Desire shouting insults in Raven's head until she decided not to cut it back to its original length. Starfire got a few pink highlights in the front of hers after being persuaded by Jinx, and Jinx got her roots re-dyed, naming the exact shade of pink for the Hairdresser. She was starting to piss Raven off.

"Aren't you getting yours done?" Jinx asked, avoiding her eye. She knew they weren't friends, not even close.

"No, its naturally purple." Raven said. Anyone listening would have thought she was being sarcastic. Jinx widened her eyes. She really had no idea of how extreme her demon heritage was, as no one had dared to tell her out of respect for Raven's privacy. She had been surprised when she had figured that out, thinking at least Cyborg would have informed Jinx a little more. Apparently she knew only the bare minimum.

"Okay." she agreed quietly. Raven narrowed her eyes critically.

_She's pretty!_ Jealousy moaned unhappily. _Everyone's prettier than us! _Despair sobbed. A_h uh. We are a fox._ Brave laughed cockily while desire nodded, saying coaxingly. _We're getting there Raven. Just listen to me more often._

Stupid voices in her head.

They left Starfire behind on her insistence. Their hour was up and she was concerned about making the others wait, as her hair was only just out of foils. They found them standing in the same place, with about one shopping bag each. Only Robin's was from a clothes store. For some reason he looked disappointed when Starfire wasn't with them. Raven couldn't _imagine_ why.

"Where's Star?" he asked- a little too quickly. Cyborg and Beastboy burst out laughing and even the moody demoness cracked a smile.

"When are you going to ask her out Robin?" Jinx sighed, voicing what everyone in the entire city was thinking.

"I don't- what do you mean? Starfire is just a friend." he spluttered, too quickly again. This sent Cyborg and Beastboy deeper into a pit of hysterical laughter they probably weren't ever going to surface from. Raven sighed. If no-one else had known, she would consider what she was about to say a breech of privacy. But since it was so obvious, she didn't see the harm.

"Idiot. Don't lie. I _know._" she said as kindly as she could. Which still sounded mean. The boys stopped laughing and listened.

"What-what do you mean?" Robin repeated, clearly terrified. Raven sighed again, this time more impatiently.

"You know I have empathy." she stated. "and a connection to your mind." she added, though empathy was enough. "If any of you feel something strongly, and I'm not distracted, I can feel it too. It's driving me insane. Every time you walk into the room I have this intense urge to go up to Starfire and _touch_ her. It's creeping me out." she admitted, realising this would sound weird.

Everyone stared at her. Suddenly she was hit with a sick and heady wave of lust.

"Stop that!" she snarled at Beastboy and Robin in particular. She knew they were hormonal teenaged males, and they most likely couldn't help it, but imagining what she knew they must be was disgusting. She didn't see Starfire in that way at all.

She ignored the part coming from Cyborg. It was more awkward than she could put into words.

"What?" Beastboy demanded guiltily.

"They're not my emotions! I don't have lesbian feelings for Starfire!" she snapped, glaring furiously.

"And I am so very glad of that my darling." A foreign voice drawled loudly and jokingly from the second story balcony, which overlooked their floor of the mall. Raven spun around and realised with a sinking feeling of dread that the background noise had stopped. The loud, humming, masses of people that had been surrounding them a second ago where gone, replaced by dozens of silent figures in brown cloaks. Suddenly something snapped into place in her brain and she understood. It was oddly quiet as she looked up into the face of Brother Blood. Raven realised with a twinge of surprise that he was a different man than the one she remembered. This man was young, maybe a few years older than her, and painfully good looking. He had masses of chocolate brown, dishevelled hair and a charming smile. He was staring down at her with a pleasant air.

"Whoa." Jinx muttered, looking around at the drones blocking their exit. Raven felt pulsing black energy blaze through her veins and form an orb around each of her hands, curled up into fists.

"Who are you?" she growled up at him. He smiled at her tone and laughed quietly.

"I am Brother Sebastian. The new, quite obviously improved, Brother Blood." he introduced himself, his eyes only for Raven. It was as if he hadn't noticed the others existed.

Jinx and Cyborg gasped. Her stomach plummeted the last few inches it had left but now she knew who was after her it made perfect sense. She kicked myself mentally for not expecting this sooner. Trigon's back-up plan - an old, forgotten prophecy - was coming to haunt her.

"And what happened to the old one?" Raven questioned, already knowing the answer.

"I killed him. Dad wasn't worthy." This earned another gasp from her team, but she nodded surprisingly calmly. This made sense. It had been that way from the very beginning of the Church of Blood. Son killing father, and so on, until this very day. It was a curse that always got fulfilled.

"Plus he was like thirty? And you're nineteen? I'm twenty-one, that's an acceptable age-difference." he laughed.

"You think I'm going to marry you because you're closer to my age?" she asked blandly, tensing her knees for a fight. The Titans had no clue what was going on, or what she was talking about.

"No, but it's a start don't you think?" he smiled.

"Okay, what's going on?" Robin demanded, in his own fighting stance, seeing the stricken look on Ravens face.

"Nothing to do with you." Sebastian said chuckling. Raven answered for him.

"He left the bodies. He's the new brother blood." She heard Robin's intake of breath, and felt the panic of the whole group quicken her heartbeat and shoot adrenalin up her spine, aching to be used. But they were outnumbered, and these people would kill them. Brother blood raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't enjoy them?" he asked as if he were discussing the weather. The energy around her hands crackled impatiently and curled about in the air.

"No! I am not going to serve you! I'm not a demon any more! Trigon is dead." she hissed, unable to contain _that_ part of being demon. Sebastian noticed it.

"See, you're doing it now. You'll always be demon no matter how many purifications you endure. And Trigon can always be brought back. But if you don't want any more gifts, that's fine by me honey." Raven growled in response.

"Don't call me that!"

"Alright Wifey." he grinned. "but you know, when we're married you won't have to work anymore. I was extremely surprised when Aaron told me you had lead him into that coffee shop. And even more surprised when he said you were behind the counter." he gestured towards a brown-cloaked figure near her, who pulled his hood down to reveal the ever grinning face of Aaron. He'd had someone following her. She frowned. Now the enemy had a face. They were just humans, but probably fanatical for the Church. Willing to help capture her and fulfill the next prophecy for Trigon.

Bang.

A door to her left flew open loudly. The members near it tensed but were not expecting an attack from outside of the room. Red-X was running through the doors, teleporting every few steps, being chased by Starfire. Raven heard Robin breath again. Red-X looked around, and then slowed to a stop.

"What the fu-"

"Where are my friends! What badness have you done?" Starfire demanded until she noticed them.

"Friends!" she exclaimed delightedly. She ran over and took her place next to Robin.

"Righhtt." Sebastian said dryly.

"Okay, what's going on?" Red-X asked in his synthetic, robotic voice. Sebastian smiled pleasantly again.

"We'll I'm trying to get married but these idiots are in the way." he gestured in their direction. "Not you sweetie." he quickly added, looking at Raven. Red-X burst out laughing.

"You're marrying Raven? That's great." he said, still laughing a little. He was edging towards the Titans though, to get further away from the cloaked followers, even though Robin was glaring furiously in his direction. "Why didn't I get an invitation?"

Sebastian laughed.

"It's a short notice thing," Raven was getting annoyed with him now. He was overly confident about his success and she wanted to find out why. "but you're welcome to come. It's tonight." That confused her.

"Tonight?" she hissed. _Why?_ Sebastian sighed.

"Yes I know, it's a little quick. But it has to happen at midnight on a new moon to fulfill the prophecy so…" he trailed off, looking irritated. A small bubble of hope grew in her chest. If she could stay away from him tonight then he would have to wait until next month, and by then she could be ready to get rid of him.

"Azarath Metrion zynthous!" She cried without warning, hoping to surprise. Tendrils snaked from her hands and shot towards Brother Blood. He stumbled a little but as if repelled by a shield, her magic dissolved into the air. Her eyes widened in shock. This was impossible! How could he have dissolved her magic without drugging her? At least she didn't think he had…

"Clothes maketh the man, baby." Sebastian laughed, tapping the aged shawl he had slung over his shoulders. It looked so familiar…

Of course. Christ's shawl. Nothing demonic could touch it, her powers included. She had thought it was simply part of the mythos of the Church of Blood, a claim to power. Apparently it did still exist, and was in their possession. Then the world was doomed. Her physical strength was nothing compared to the man-power of his followers. Even alone he could probably overpower her.

Sebastian looked at Raven fondly, as if she were a grumpy child.

"What was that?" Robin asked, clearly losing hold on his patience in the face of desperation and confusion. She scanned the mall for exits. Every door was blocked off by figures. Trying to think, she closed her eyes for focus.

The Titans wouldn't be able to stop them, even if Red-X helped. The Church had man-power and Sebastian had possibly inherited his fathers powers of telepathy. Her demonic powers were useless against his shawl.

Raven opened her eyes and took a defensive step back. In the time she had closed them, a mere few seconds, Brother Blood had appeared a foot in front of her.

"Take them." he ordered the drones, his voice suddenly authoritative. Robin couldn't mistake the tone for an order.

"Titans go!" he roared, and then jumped at Sebastian. Starfire was covering his back, shooting bolts at the advancing cloaked figures. They fell back to the doors, choosing to block the way rather than be offensive. Beastboy turned into a lion, his huge green mane bristling. He roared deafeningly at more of the men and charged at one, who fell on the ground and tried to protect his face. His hood fell off and revealed a middle-aged man. Raven recognised him. He was a news anchor on one of the mainstream TV channels. The Church of Blood had followers in high places. A few friendly members went to the mans rescue but were promptly kicked off by a flying kick from red-X.

"I can't get out of here without you heroes." he clarified. God help him if he did good selflessly.

Robin punched at Sebastian but before it had a chance to connect, a follower jumped in the way. They started to fight. This new man was as apt at hand-to-hand combat as Robin was. They were both grunting and ducking, Starfire aiming bolts at Brother Blood. Cyborg joined in with his sonic cannon, with Jinx flipping over and over towards Sebastian. Raven stood there, dodging the running grabs for her and panicking. There was nothing she could do.

Beastboy morphed into a hawk and went for the eyes hidden behind cloaks. He distracted them for a while, long enough for Red- X to pull out a large metal cross, which sprayed thick red gas over them. They collapsed onto the ground with a loud thump. This gave her hope. She had no idea how long they would stay unconscious, but if they could knock them out long enough…

Sebastian skipped away from Jinx's cartwheel and Cyborg's cannon with ease. Starfire had stopped trying to hit him. The man Robin was fighting had picked up a metal bar from a stand that had sold wind catchers when it had been a mall rather than a war zone. He swung it through the air fiercely, narrowly missing Robins chest.

"Robin!" Starfire cried, mid flight. The bar connected with Robins head. He crumpled to the ground and Raven felt her stomach lurch as she couldn't help thinking, _One down_.

"They put up a good fight." Brother blood commented airily, jumping away from Cyborgs cannon. "but not good enough." he smiled before looking directly at Starfire. She stared back, terrified and then she started to fall from mid-air as if struck. She cried out before she hit the ground with a _smack_.

"What did you do?" Raven demanded, eyes wide. Starfire was having trouble standing up as her long legs kept giving out from under her, like a new-born foals.

"Just a tiny bit of mind twisting. I'm focusing on her muscle control." he said happily. "It's hard to do unless I'm concentrating and the other mind has to be unaware but I think it'll be okay."

Her skin tingled unpleasantly.

Suddenly strong arms clamped her own to her sides and held her. Raven twisted around and struggled under them but the hands still held tight, as if unaware she was fighting. People shouldn't touch her. She wanted to throw up, to fall asleep, to pass out. Anything to get her away from the arms, from here. This was surely a nightmare. There was always a way, a loophole that could save her. But not today, not tonight. Brother Blood would continue to fight her friends until they fell and then take her where he wished. Without her powers she was as dangerous as any unarmed, slightly muscled teenaged girl.

Sebastian was still smiling at Raven fondly, creating dimples in his already attractive face. She kicked at the shins of whoever was holding her, but they responded only to lift her feet off the ground. It was like lashing out at unyielding stone. Jinx took advantage of his distracted vision to send a wave of pulsing pink bad-luck energy at him. It melted into his body and he flicked around to see her dart away into the crowd of drones.

An idea occurred to Raven.

Sebastian was immune to her natural powers but the cloak did nothing to deter the magic Malchior had taught her.

The thought made her feel even more sick and dizzy in this strange person's arms but it was the only option. She was sure she could control the dark magic this time, with adrenaline sharpening her vision and making her more alert. With a shuddering breath she tuned out all the shouting and commotion, focusing only on her powers and the words etched deep in her mind by Malchior's sultry voice .

"Intatumn, luvaim, Lunasas!" She whispered. The magic forced its way out of her skin, her eyes. It found its way straight to Brother Blood, and forced the man behind to release her, sending him flying into the crowd. Raven remembered this feeling. Like the world was on fire, and she had the power to stop it. The energy, the blackest shade in the universe, hit Sebastian and knocked him out cold almost instantly, his eyes registering surprise. He hit the wall, hard, and slid down to rest slumped on the ground. A trickle of blood flowed sluggishly across the floor in a tiny stream. Raven shivered with the sudden release of energy. The followers stared at her disbelievingly. Cyborg took the opportunity to blast a woman crouching over Robins unconscious form.

Suddenly she was filled with rage. These people were here to ruin her life. Kill her friends and force her into unholy marriage with an insane man who wanted to use her in every way possible in order to summon the devil.

Raven half-screamed, half-snarled as she released the rest of her energy on the Drones, rendering them all unconscious. She noted the identical trickles of blood from their mouths as she fell to her knees, a heavy feeling of intense fatigue washing top-to bottom down her body and settling like sand. She felt huge relief as she curled up on the cold, hard ground. Raven kept her eyes open, and saw Robins dead expression now that she was level with his face. Starfire was leaning over him, her eyes filled with motherly concern. Raven allowed their feelings of relief and confusion to settle on her. They were better than her own dominant emotion, terror.

"Are they dead?" Beastboy asked quietly, coming closer to Raven, back in human form. She surveyed the man who had grabbed her. His glassy eyes open as he stared up at the ceiling. It reminded her of the corpses back at the docks. Their faces looked so similar. But they weren't similar, not really - this man was breathing.

"No." She whispered, not sure if this pleased her. And that worried her.

"Rae, what's going on?" Cyborg asked. It felt like the hundredth time someone had asked her that question today. She tilted her head so she could see him, towering over her. He was holding hands with a shaky Jinx. He hadn't called her Rae in a while. Not since the day their relationship had splintered into untold pieces.

"Just get me back to the tower." Raven pleaded weakly. Explanations could come after sleep.

The Church of Blood wouldn't wake for a few hours. Not with all the dark magic in their system, clogging it, tainting it. When her strength returned she could teleport them far away from here, but without a doubt they would be back next month. For now, she needed to forget.

Cyborg nodded and uncurled his large metal hand from Jinx's. He went over to Starfire and Robin, tapped her on the shoulder and inclined his head towards Raven. He would not want to touch her even now. Starfire spared Robin another despairing glance before floating over, her control of body returned. The Princess picked Raven up, her inhuman strength having no problem with her weight. Red-X had hovered awkwardly in the background before disappearing swiftly, without a trace. Cyborg poked Robin with his foot and when he didn't stir, sighed and picked him up by the shirt.

"Lets go." he said, dragging Robin's body towards the glowing exit sign. "Uh, what do we do with them?" he asked, gesturing at the sleeping bodies. "And what happened to all the people in here before?" Raven closed her eyes and answered quietly."He probably teleported them to another part of the mall somewhere but I doubt he killed them." She said sleepily. Beastboy interrupted her piece with his disembodied voice.

"But won't they be freaked out?"

"They won't remember. It would cause too much attention if they did."

Attention the Church of Blood, a secret cult with members in high places, did not want.

* * *

**Isn't Brother Sebastian lush?**


	4. Panic

**This chapter has a fair few mentions of rape and suicide, but it's a plot device, not a side show people. If you are too delicate too read it I wonder how you stomach the News or living on earth. **

* * *

Robin held the ice pack to his head with a disgruntled expression. Raven had to smile. After all that happened, he was upset someone caught him off guard. The others weren't so easily distracted. They were thinking of the corpses down at the docks she was sure. She could tell by the gloom settling over everyone like fog.

They had seen the new Brother Blood and were wondering how someone so young and normal, not to mention _hot_, could commit such crimes. And they didn't even know his full plan yet. She didn't want to tell them. It almost seemed unnecessary. Now that the new moon had passed, and the cult was no longer right in front of her, they didn't seem such a threat. It helped a little that the mystery of the crazy stalker was solved; that had been weighing down on her. But the team's curiosity and concern, plus her own terror at being so _helpless_ now that Sebastian had an object that rendered her powers useless meant they would have to act against the Church of Blood. She knew an almost foolproof way, but that option made her almost as horrified as marrying Sebastian.

"Stop stalling Raven! Just tell already!" Beastboy wined from his chair. She looked down at the tops of her black canvas shoes. She had to go to work in an hour and had been hoping to put off telling them until then but it didn't look like she could now.

"What do you want to know first?" She asked blankly, defeated.

Images and thoughts flew through her mind at high speed, the first time she had allowed herself to think about it. The marriage to Sebastian, their baby…she had wanted a child, but not like this. Her poor baby, No one would love it, it was the end of their world. Not even its own mother. Demons couldn't love the right way, the way that animals and humans could. It would have an even worse upbringing than she had. At least she had a mother, no matter how flawed she was. Raven wanted so badly to protect her unborn, unconceived, unimaginable child. And there was only one sure way to do that.

"What does all this have to do with Brother Blood?" Jinx asked curiously, shifting her position on the floor next to Cyborg. Of course she would want to know, both she and Cyborg had thought he was only a school headmaster at the Academy they'd attended. Raven shivered almost invisibly. This was a long, long story. She thought she had better start from the beginning.

"Seven hundred years ago a priest called Brother Sebastian killed another priest to gain the shawl of Christ, said to have been worn by Jesus Christ at the last supper and stolen from him on the way to the cross. It was ended up in the hands of a druid priest, the one Sebastian killed. By then it had become a sort of talisman against evil, but Sebastian tainted it when he bathed in his victim's blood. He emerged and proclaimed himself Brother blood, but not before the Druid Priest cursed him. The shawl gave him great power and slowed down his ageing, but the curse meant he was killed by his own son before his hundredth birthday. As you learnt back at the mall, the tradition of son killing father to assume the role of Brother Blood, and head of the Church, carries on to this day. Like all mythos the story seemed shaky at best, but I suppose it must be true where it counts now that I've seen Sebastian has the shawl. It certainly explains why Brother Blood has always had telekinetic abilities."

"We'll what does that have to do with you?" Jinx asked. Raven sighed.

"The Church of Blood is a satanic cult. They exist only to summon the incarnation of all evil, Trigon, to this world."

If possible, Jinx looked more confused than before at her answer.

"My father. Scathe. The incarnation of evil or the devil. Whatever you want to call him, it doesn't matter." She confirmed for her, and Jinx flushed in embarrassment, for Raven or herself, Raven didn't know. "As I said, the Church has been around for centuries. Its members are some of the most high profile people in History, and they're rooted deeply into today's society. To try and pull them out would mean risking your life and the lives of your loved ones." Raven warned, knowing Robin would not like that part.

He scowled, right on cue.

"This is America Raven. What could they do?" he scoffed, leaning on the back two legs of his chair. Raven thought that the heart of the United States was it's double edged sword of optimism. On Azarath, they'd just accepted bad things happened.

"Democracy is young, the Church has been around for hundreds of years and they know how to handle trouble. The media is a favourite approach of theirs. Front page news, Robin of the Teen Titan's is a rapist." She said flippantly. Robin turned a shade of pruce and the boys snickered.

"What-t-that-no one would believe them!" he stuttered awkwardly.

"Anyone would believe them, if a top criminologist and a team of forensic scientist told them so! And if there was a conveniently virtuous and reliable witness? Those who would present the case against you might not even be part of the Church. Someone might be providing them with the information, threatening or bribing them. And person threatening or bribing them might be getting _their_ information from another source, completely separate from Blood. You would never know how many links there were in the chain. Maybe it would turn out that the whole time, everyone of them was in the church. You just don't know and you can't face them the way you would face a lone, disorganised criminal!" she hissed, needing all of them to understand they couldn't fight the Church.

"I'd get a lawyer." Robin insisted. She sighed angrily. They didn't understand!

"Not if the lawyer was arrested on Child Pornography charges." Raven retorted. He opened his mouth and she cut him off. "Even if you got another one, there is no shortage of ways the Church would ruin any case you put against them."

"Fine." he mumbled finally and Beastboy stuffed his hand in his mouth to stifle the snickering.

"Good." She said emotionlessly, pleased with his defeated air. A part of her wished he was still defiant though, giving her more time to argue with him and therefore less time to explain this entire mess. "Now that you understand the Church, I can explain what Sebastian told me back at the mall. There is another prophesy, a back-up plan I always knew was an option even if I defeated my father. Almost the same thing that happened to my mother." She admitted. Robin gasped, his eyes widened, but the others looked extremely confused still.

"What happened to your Mom?" Jinx asked tentatively. Raven sighed for the umpteenth time and ignored the nerves bundling up inside of her. In hindsight it really would have been easier if Cyborg had damned her right to privacy along with his love, and told Jinx all about her past.

"My mother was a runaway who joined the Church of Blood when she was seventeen. She was almost immediately offered up as a bride for Trigon. He wasn't strong enough to get a foothold on earth, but he could appear for short periods of time. He came to earth in human form, just as I am in my human form now, and tricked her. Pregnant and suicidal, she was taken to Azarath by pacifist monks who planned to raise me in the safest way possible for everyone. I was supposed to be the portal to earth for him, but that failed. So now the Church is stepping up to carry out the back-up plan. To go second generation."

This time Cyborg was the one to realise.

"Rae…" he shook his head from side to side as if this was her fault. Robin stayed silent, contemplating.

She wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to help her take the Church down. She could only imagine how tired they must be of her problems by now. The last thing they wanted was another prophesy.

"I still do not understand." Starfire said, her eyes searching Ravens.

"I am supposed to be the Bride of Blood. On the full moon I am to marry Sebastian and we are supposed to have a child. I am to revert back to demon form and the baby will become the portal to bring Trigon back to earth, where we will rule together. As a family." She said in a near whisper.

"A baby?" Starfire said in awe, her face shining as if this was good news. For once, Raven felt as if she might hit the alien Princess.

"Whoa. Raven." Beastboy breathed in astonishment, his face a mask of horror. Jinx had her right hand clamped to her mouth, her eyes large and staring. Her other hand was intertwined with Cyborgs huge metal one, his face hard and expressionless, his eyes flicking between Raven and Jinx. She felt the thick fog of concern waft over both of them, his fear split in two. Some for Jinx and some for her. She knew he would be the one to do as she asked.

Raven said nothing and went back to staring at her shoes. Her request was building in her throat, aching for release.

"How do we stop it?" Robin asked bluntly, his face full of fierce determination, always getting straight to business. She did love him for that.

"There are two ways but you wont like either of them." She replied coolly, completely sure. He would protest, that she was positive. They were the only options.

"What are they?" Cyborg asked, equally as cool.

"Ask Malchior for more help with magic." She threw her head upwards to gage their reactions. Robin looked furious. Her stomach filled with dread at the mere mention of that _monster, __especially out of her own mouth_.

"No! That's insane!" he yelled, finally leaving his seat. Cyborg stood up as well, dragging Jinx up with him.

"Are you still in love with him?" he demanded, his face much too close for comfort. Raven stood up in fury and it felt good, to be filled with something other than terror. How dare they ask her that! Nothing remained of the attraction she had once had for Malchior! To think otherwise was an insult to her character. When had she become the love-sick one in their eyes, pining over those who had abused her like some sad puppy-dog?

"Of course not!" She snarled right back in Cyborg's face. His mouth stayed frozen in it's hard line, his jaw set. Jinx looked between them, a terrified expression on hers. She was tugging on her bubble-gum pink tresses, showing off her chipped red finger-nails. Electricity made of the past buzzed between them, a frisson of anger.

"Then why?" he asked calmly, his brown eyes piercing. "Why can't you just use your magic?"

He thought he was onto something. He thought she wanted an excuse to flirt with that Dragon. _Well, he thought a lot of things and none of them were ever right! _It was pure torture to explain something so simple to her, in detail to this idiot.

"Because of his shawl! It belonged to Jesus-_fucking_-Christ_._ I am a half _demon._ It may be tainted but I still can't touch it! Neither can my powers, because they are _demonic!_ The only reason I'm not currently strapped down to some table so Sebastian can impregnate me with _Rosemary's baby_ is because of the small amount I already learnt from Malchior!" Raven cried, digging her fingernails into the soft flesh of her palm. The small amount of pain it caused was calming to her frazzled nerves. She breathed out heavily, pleased Cyborg was rendered speechless. That was why she had used such harsh imagery.

She could spend all night delicately explaining the prophecy to them, but that would not drive home the reality that she would be forced to marry a man who thought of corpses as equivalent to flowers and love letters. That she would be laid out on some bed and raped again and again until she was with child. That she would be forced to give birth knowing it would mean the end of the world she loved, and forced to raise that child until it was strong enough to become a sacrifice for her father.

Raven turned away and dropped into that squishy couch again, this time facing Robin and leaning her front against the couch back, her legs tucked under her. She watched him pull his head out of his hands.

"No." he said firmly, his eyes steely. Beastboy and Starfire remained quiet, but Starfire walked over to the couch and sat next to her. That shinning _A baby! _expression was gone from her face to be replaced with sorrow.

"Alright." Raven agreed, pleasant enough. Malchior wasn't her first choice either. She had brought it up to get it out of the way. The other option was _much _safer. And much less torturous. Seeing Malchior again would be about as fun as open heart surgery. Plus, the other option could be put into action immediately.

"What's the other option?" Cyborg asked sharply, letting go of Jinx's hand so she could float gently back onto the carpet. Raven rested her chin on the edge of the couch back.

"Kill me." She said seriously, turned around so she could face Cyborg, the object of her statement. "I've tried to do it myself before... as soon as I was told about my father actually. I've tried many times over the years, truth be told. But the thing is, I can heal most injuries and when I try and make something lethal, self-preservation always kicks in and forces me to snap the rope or protect my head. That's why I need someone else to do it."

This was the only way. Dear Azar she didn't want it to happen. Now that she didn't have to be unfeeling, life was okay. Painful, but often worth it. But as far as she could see into the future, considering the immense power the Church of Blood possessed, this was the only other way. And for her, it was the easiest. She'd been down this road before.

"You're kidding." Beastboy said disbelievingly. She understood that she would have to convince them, so she went straight for the jugular.

"Do you love Jinx?" She asked Cyborg. Robin stalked past the right side of the couch so he too was in front of her.

"Raven, what are you talking about?" he said in his I-am-your-understanding-and-compassionate-but-sensible-leader voice. Cyborg and Jinx stared at Raven as if she were insane. She must have been, to not see this prophecy coming. She'd assumed the Church wouldn't have the guts after she'd killed Trigon.

"Do you?" She repeated.

"Yes, of course but-"

"With all your heart?" She cut him off. This was mean. It was a horrible, manipulative thing to do. But it was working. He raised his one human eyebrow and nodded, wide-eyed. "Splendid. I wonder... do you love me?" It hurt to say it, because she knew he would never love her the way she wanted. The way she had loved him.

"Not in the same wa-"

"So you love us both? In different ways?" Raven pressed on, passing over the old wounds. At this stage they were just speed bumps. Cyborg shook his head in disbelief but replied with a 'yeah'.

She had him now. He would have to do it. Not that she was, or had ever been, suicidal in the traditional sense. Every time she tried it had been for the greater good of the world, trading her life for a billion others- more than a fair trade. It was how the universe was supposed to be, wasn't it? Everyone had to die one day. Raven was more than lucky to survive this long and despite this strange motley family she felt sick to have to leave, this was the perfect death. An Honer if she thought about it.

"Then Kill me!" Raven hissed.

"What does love have to do with killing you?" Robin asked furiously. She gripped the arm rest harder and spoke only to Cyborg, knowing he was the only one who would do it. He would not have left her for anything less than real love. That was what Jinx was to him.

The world put so much weight on the individual. Anyone in the world would rather a hundred strangers died, than their own loved ones. One person you knew was worth a thousand strangers lives. It didn't seem logical at all, and it wasn't. It was just human nature. Cyborg loved Jinx. She was his loved _one_. To get what she needed, Raven would exploit that.

"If you love Jinx you won't want her to get hurt. And if you don't want her to get hurt you have to kill me!" she snarled. Jinx spoke up, from her curled upright ball on the floor near Raven's feet.

"You won't hurt me Raven. I know we're not really friends bu-"

"Shut up, you stupid slut, I'll hurt everyone!" Raven spat, spitefully holding back tears. Suddenly, the threat seemed so _real_. It was right in front of her, staring her in the face like a snake ready to strike. Her worst nightmare. "People I've never met, who have done nothing wrong. I'll slaughter them all. And you," she rounded on Jinx, her expression worthy of her heritage. "I won't just kill you. Death will be an wistful daydream compared to what I'll do to you. You'll beg for it, but that will only add more torture to your sentence."

Raven had fantasied about shrieking these very threats at Jinx for seven months so the words slipped from her mouth with the ease of a practised speech. Yet they did not feel as good as she'd always imagined they would. Cyborg looked stricken. Raven could feel her words working their magic, playing havoc with Cyborgs _true _love for Jinx. He would do anything to protect her from death, let alone years of torture.

Even if it meant killing his long-time friend and ex-partner of two years.

"I'm going to make you pay a million times over for taking my boyfriend. You wont even remember your own ridiculous name through the pain." Raven continued mercilessly. "You'll wish you were never born over constantly, it will be your only coherent thought."

She rounded on Cyborg for her _Pièce de résistance_. "and for a while before I kill you Cyborg, I'll make you watch." If the words were hurting her to say them, she could only imagine what it was like for the others to hear her do so.

"It's not true." Cyborg said, but it sounded like he was pleading for her to admit she was kidding. She looked at him, chocolate eyes locked with violet orbs.

"She's planning it already, My demon side. She's in my mind all the time plotting ways to bring unimaginable pain and she knows she'll be out soon unless you kill me. It doesn't have to be bad." Raven's voice took on an identical pleading turn. "You can be as quick as you want! Please just do it!"

"How would anyone be able to kill you friend Raven?" Starfire asked through sobs.

Why the hell was _she_ crying?

Raven forced herself calm so she could speak again.

"Lethal injection. Tell a doctor its morphine and get him to do it! If you won't do it for Jinx do it for me!" she reasoned, wanting to rip herself into pieces, starting with her bloody palms.

It wasn't fair, that's all she could think. No one else had to do this. The other part of her mind strove to remind her she deserved it, simply for being what she was. A demon. She blinked rapidly to stave off tears.

"I don't want to marry Sebastian and... I don't want to be responsible for the end of the world again. I can't live with that guilt another minute!"

Suddenly several arms enclosed her.

Ravens eyes opened wide. This was not what she had expected. Anger and despair, but not _hugs. _They were warm and they were holding her together, now that she couldn't do it herself. For once she let herself be taken care of, her friends hugging her until her breath became even and she could regain blessed composure.

How could she expect them to do it? Killing was against every bone in each of their bodies, and it was foolish to have tried. Now she just seemed unstable.

"Go to bed Raven, tomorrow you start learning magic with Malchior." Robin said gently, forgetting his leader voice for once.

* * *

Raven woke up with a tight knot in the back of her neck and a throbbing headache. She stumbled out of bed and over to her dresser. She glanced at herself, noticing her clothes and shoes on the floor.

She had skipped work, and not even bothered to call in sick. Demitri would be ringing up today, to threaten that he was going to fire her, even though they both knew he would do no such thing. She had another shift today, at four.

She contemplated not going again but soon realised sickly that that would mean more time with _Malchior._ Disgusting, lying, treacherous _lizard_.

Dressing in the black shirt she had worn yesterday but changing her tear-stained pants for a pair of black shorts and tights, she stared at her face in her meditation mirror. Her hair was flat on one side and fluffed up on the other, showing the side she had slept on. Her face was blotchy and slightly flushed, with a deep red patch over her right cheek, and her eyes were dark-rimmed with a mixture of the tiny amount of eyeliner she had put on yesterday and the shadows from lack of sleep. She now understood what it was to cry one's self to sleep.

She was extremely and completely embarrassed about yesterday. Crying and losing control never helped anyone before. Usually it just opened floodgates. Well, yesterday she had well and truly emptied any floodgates she'd built up. If her emotions still controlled her powers, the little of the world that would be left would have been thoroughly uninhabitable. And to have other people witness it… it undermined all she had worked for. To be staunch and impassive took so much energy, yet it could be undone in a minute. Just a snap of god's fingers and she was a blubbering mess, worthy of a soap opera. The others would have no idea how to perceive her now. Her careful image had been unravelled.

Raven practised her emotionless grimace in the mirror. Her image smirked at her, embodying a composition of rude, chaos and Anger. A_ww Raveys not made of stone _the reflection appeared to say- though Raven knew it was all in her head -finishing in a mocking pout that many men would have found attractive.

She slammed it down on her dresser and stalked out of the room. She continued to stalk until she got to the kitchen, forcing her steps to slow until she was walking normally. Beastboy and Cyborg were having the usual argument in the kitchen.

"Tofu!" Beastboy whined.

"Bacon" Cyborg boomed back.

"Tofu and soy milk!"

"Bacon, bacon , bacon!"

"Toffuu!"

"STEAK!" Cyborg roared suddenly, as if the cure for cancer had formed in his head.

"You can't eat steak for breakfast." Robin said tiredly, rubbing the back of his neck and frowning.

"Yeah I can. Stick it to the man!" he pumped a huge metal fist into the air. Beastboy looked scandalised.

"Just pick something" Raven intervened. The crowd fell immediately silent, all eyes suddenly turned to her.

"Hey Rae." Beastboy said awkwardly, like she was a ticking time bomb that would go off if anyone talked too loudly.

"Don't call me Rae." she said dryly, picking methodically through the almost bare cupboard.

"Friend Raven! Are you feeling better after tearing?" Starfire chirped brightly, smiling as if that wasn't offensive, though she didn't know it was.

"Yeah. Sure." Raven replied twitchingly, as she pulled out a new, unopened mixed packet of herbal tea that Carrie and Pippa had put together for her. One of the few perks of working at a coffee shop. It was one of the last remaining food items in the cupboard because she was the only one who drank it. Robin stuck to coffee, due to the long, late nights he spent researching and cataloguing things he deemed important. Beastboy was all for soy milk, Jinx and Starfire drank bottled water and hot chocolate and Cyborg was a coke/beer man. Raven used to teleport to the store to get it for him when he ran out.

The others all stood or sat around awkwardly. They were trying to look at her and keep there stares unnoticed at the same time. A very difficult feat.

"You guys have obviously been practising the art of subtlety." she said sarcastically while holding one of the teabags up to the light to examine it's contents. The seeds and leaves were suspicious colours, which led her to believe this was a Pippa experiment rather than the weak but preferred Carrie blend. You never knew which you would get, but the home-made cover of the box proclaimed options as diverse as Nettle, Lapsang Souchong, Russian Caravan, Dandelion Root and Catnip. She poured in the hot water and left it to steep, watching the paper bag bloom like a drop of blood on tissue.

"Huh?" Beastboy looked up in an unconvincing impression of startled. Raven threw them all a disdainful look and took a sip from her mug. It tasted bitter, slightly salty, and screamed of Pippa. She screwed up her face and set the mug down, leaning against the sink and staring out the huge window overlooking the city.

What now? She had several hours to fill until she had to make an appearance at _The Wall_ for Demitri's sake. The only thing she could think of that would fill that block of time was Malchior. She didn't want to go there.

She could read a book, but the Titan's stares were expectant, and reading for the sake of reading seemed a little unproductive. Like she was trying to ignore the situation.

Robin's words had been precise: 'Go to bed Raven, tomorrow you start learning magic with Malchior.'

That meant _Today._

Did she really want to deal with that Dragon after work? At night, when it would seem all the more sinister?

What she had to do bore down heavily. Like Atlas, the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

Raven sighed harshly and tipped the contents of her cup down the sink. It gurgled in defiance, as if refusing to swallow the abomination. She let her feet carry her, and focused on keeping her eyes off the Titan's curious looks as she went back to her room. The safety of the hallway hit her like a cooling ocean wave and slowed her walk.

Malchior. Three years since she had seen him. Her stomach and mind were reeling. Would he gloat? Taunt her over her stupidity? And worse - to the Titans and the world, not specifically herself - would he refuse to teach her? She had a plan of course. He teaches her, and she lets him out. Of course, She wouldn't actually let him out but she was a terrific liar, she had to be. She hoped he would accept. After all, being trapped in the book was bound to be slowly chewing at the edges of his sanity. And what could he do once she refused to free him when (not _if, _she tried to tell herself) Sebastian was defeated?

He was only a story book after all.

* * *

**I really am pushing the boundaries of ratings, aren't I? _Rosemary's Baby_ is of course the movie (written and directed by Roman Polanski) based off the book by Ira Levin about a woman who has satans baby and if you haven't seen it yet good god what is wrong with you. It's a classic people. **


	5. A long wait

Raven opened the book's heavy front cover with hesitant fingers that only just obeyed her minds commands and waited for the earth to explode.

For something big to happen. An earthquake, a lightning strike. Wildfire, a huge burst of magic that would provide this moment with the fanfare it deserved. But all that happened were a pair of the bluest, cerulean eyes she had ever seen bleeding onto the page like ink.

It was enough.

The effect on her body was instantaneous. Her breath was sucked back in through her open mouth and she dug her fingernails into her hand to stop any noises of horror from escaping should her mouth betray her. The eyes continued staring, the depths of them drowning all her thoughts until her mind was a black hole and the animal's capacity for fear was all that she knew.

If Malchior had had possession of his body, he would have frozen on the spot. He had heard her coming of course, but he heard her enter the room many times a day, and thought nothing of it. After all, it was _her _room. The surprise he felt when he saw his prison fill with light, felt himself opening more literal eyes and gazing upon her subtle heart shaped and pale face, tense and cautious, was jarring. After a few years of numbness, seeing a beautiful young maiden, let alone this _particular_ young maiden was a shock to the system.

Both of their minds were failing them, blank and empty, stalling. This was not a usual occurrence. Most of the time emotions took a back seat for both of them and all actions were logical. They both had sharp tongues and sharper wits, yet the sight of each other rendered each of them a blinking moron. Raven was the first to move, stifling a moan of denial and pain.

"_Raven_" His voice issued from the thick parchment pages, one of crafted intelligence and more genteel times. Raven knew that voice, and would never be fooled by it again, but that didn't stop her skin tingling with its charm, cold and memories. This voice belonged to the most handsome Disney prince but the same twisted bitch that had made her the daughter of Trigon, fate, had chosen to give to an evil lizard.

The evil Lizard in question had come to his senses and felt the need to make contact before he woke up from what he was sure must be a wonderful dream, ignoring the fact that he never had any need to sleep and had not done so in a thousand years.

"Of all things, this is not what I expected." He muttered, almost in bewilderment, as she stared, frozen, as if not moving would cause her to disappear. This was her _bad _dream she had dreamed over and over again, a scenario she had thought of many times. But how could she be prepared? Everything was the same, and that was why she was in such mental pain.

"Raven?" He asked again, and she strove for the distance she needed, fixing a cold look on her face, trying to disguise the tremble in her hands by folding them in her lap. Malchior felt his hope vanish as he realised this visit was not a moment of weakness on her part. She hadn't come here wanting to chat or on a whim. She had a determined yet terrified look on her face, a testament to what he had done, and the courage it was taking her to come back.

Raven fought to keep herself like a statue. The key was to act as if he was just another mistake that she had made. One that hadn't reached her heart and filled her with hope. If she could face Cyborg and Jinx daily, wouldn't Malchior, who she had never had any actual physical contact with, be a piece of cake in comparison? When she saw Cyborg nowadays, it was just a dull ache. How she wished it would be the same here. It was like comparing a scar to a raw, infected wound.

"Malchior." Raven replied steadily, and for that she was glad of at least. But she had the feeling the more she said the harder it would be to keep up, so she cut straight to the point. She had promised Robin she would ask him today, nothing more. "I need your…help." the last word was spat out, grief finally overtaken by anger at last.

Malchior listened to her with partial awe, his metaphorical heart twitching painfully in the knowledge no matter how much he wanted her, it was fruitless. Her voice seemed to have smoothed out, turned less rigidly controlled over time. She even sounded angry with her last words.

The beautiful blue eyes narrowed, but not in anger. In caution. Help? Malchior couldn't offer her anything but knowledge. Knowledge he couldn't hand over without informing her of her final fate. The thought of having her realise what he would ultimately do to her made his stomach drop.

"You want _my _help?" Malchior asked, and as Raven couldn't see his body, she couldn't gauge his body language and could only judge his mood and intentions by his voice, which was as smooth as ever. Usually she had a penchant for picking out liars, but this was way too far gone. One thousand years in a book, of course Malchior had become an actor.

What other way to pass the time?

Raven stiffened her back and sat up. The bed. They used to talk in this very spot for hours. Maybe that's why this felt sharper than the breakup with Cyborg had. Because though she and Cyborg had talked, it had not been the way she and Malchior had talked.

Raven and Cyborg had talked about her new passion for cars, having fun, their friends, their dreams. Raven and Malchior talked about the universe, their lives, the future, magic, healing, books…the list was endless. They had revealed more about themselves, or at least she had, than she ever discovered about anyone else.

Both knew this.

"Yes." Raven dully replied to his question, ignoring the shooting sensations up her spine. The thought that she was allowing this to happen again, even though this time it was not simply social and she really had no choice, was disgusting. Shameful. She was grateful her friends couldn't see her now. "I am in need of your magic"

It was blunt, but that was how she needed to say it. Otherwise the words would never come out.

"More? I had the impression that you despised what I taught you." This was the first inclination of anger he showed. His voice turned a shade darker and his eyes looked dangerous, or maybe it was just the gloomy light of her room. Or maybe, she was just imagining it.

_His precious magic. The only thing he cares about_. She could have given him all the love she had, all the time, all the support. She would have become a _housewife_ or _anything_ for him. She would have done anything to free and care for him, but he threw it all away for more power. He didn't even want her in the first place. She was just a portal, once again. A vessel for man to do with what he wished.

"I hate what you do." she hissed, her fingers curling almost into claws in her lap and her eyes flashing. "I hate the way you do it. But that doesn't mean its not of use to me."

Cold words were needed when dealing with this…man. To show him she was not playing, and he could not play her. Not this time. She was older, wiser, and ten times more cynical.

"That's very logical." He noted. She really had changed in his eyes. If possible, now she was even colder. It was…endearing to him_. _"but why now? Why, after years, have you come to me now?"

His voice was so lovely Raven hated herself. This sound should reach her ears as terrible, but it just sounded like heart melting music. She swallowed.

To tell him the real reason she needed his help would invite his fake sympathy. He would be so believable in his outrage and anger for her that she might even start to believe him. He would apologise, and her mistake would prove fatal. For everyone this time. It was her worst fear; being so weak for his lilting voice and ink smell and textured pages and cerulean eyes that she would ruin everything.

"I don't owe you answers Malchior. You don't need to know why. You proven to me you don't really care. Why don't we get on with it, so I can go to work on time today." Raven said coldly. She had dreamed of telling him this, pre-arranged her words once again. Raven had an entire library of speeches stored up in her mind, composed in quiet moments when anyone looking at her would describe her as tranquil when inside she was seething over past abuse. Speeches for everyone she knew. There were gentle, carefully worded ones for people like Robin should they need a push in the right direction. And then there were paragraphs of malice, crafted for maximum sting, reserved for people like her parents, her ex-lovers, and the betrayers. All waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.

Just like she had suspected, his eyes seemed to sadden. It was convincing enough for her to feel a small ounce of guilt, but it was quickly squashed and replaced with more fierce anger.

"Raven, I-" he started to say, preparing to spill everything.

"No!" she exclaimed in fury, interrupting his attempt at an apology? No amount of grovelling would endear him to her. Not again.

"No. Don't even _try_ the same trick again. Don't compliment me, don't mention my friends, don't mention _anything_ not related to magic. Or I shut this book, and never open it again."

The man in the tome fell silent for a moment. When he spoke his voice was hollow.

"As you wish my'lady."

Raven breathed out and nodded. He was agreeing. Her plan was going off without a hitch, if she could put aside the mental and emotional scars this was leaving. She could feel them growing like cysts beneath the skin, preparing to burst later on.

"But may I enquire exactly what it is you wish to learn?" Malchior's voice was still hollow, and she passed it off as another ploy. Raven tried to pay no attention to it, for it was convincing. He sounded resigned and she was surprised he wasn't asking what was in it for him. "and, of course, what I get in return."

She had spoken too soon.

"I want to learn everything you know." Raven said, something akin to hunger in her voice and eyes. But it was only another act to disguise the fact she was too close to tears. She wouldn't allow herself to cry twice in two days.

The bulk of her crying had been done while she was an infant, and even then it was only once every few months. Twice in a row was unacceptable, and she would _never_ let it happen in front of Malchior.

The blue eyes stared back sceptically, as if she were a foolish child, which she was to him. His one thousand years verses her eighteen. She sneered at them.

"That may take a while." he said in partial amusement, and Raven bristled, feeling herself flare up at his flippant nature. As if this was a normal conversation, in which he was allowed to tease her.

"Just teach me. Offensive, defensive, _anything_ that will help." she spat, keen to get out of here.

"Though you have not told me what it will help with, I will just have to accept that you will tell me when you feel the time is right." he replied, like a true gentlemen.

"Damn right." She said, and couldn't hide the shake in her voice. She cursed inwardly. "and In return..." she made herself say it. "you get your _freedom_" she spat the last word out, and watched Malchiors eyes widen. That was not what he had expected.

"That...is very generous." He commented, with just the right amount of stutter. His voice sounded so sincerely shocked Raven felt like picking the book up and clutching it to her. A strange, almost maternal instinct. The only difference between this time and the other times they had talked was that now she knew it was wrong. _Why do I always feel the need to go for things that are painful? _She thought despairingly, casting her eyes down, breaking the spell between them.

"If you do what you promise, I will let you out." Raven repeated slowly, feeling her stomach twist and clench in disgust.

"I give you my word I shall teach you all I can." He said, and she examined every part of his tone, his voice, searching ruthlessly for a false note. No part of it was said charmingly, connivingly, yet she could not bring herself to trust him with this completely. No doubt he wanted to escape. His general aura was noble enough, but she could practically taste his excitement, though it was understated. How could he not be filled with joy at the thought of fresh air, freedom, and opportunity?

Malchior's eyes watched her intently, filling with unreadable emotions. She didn't notice the anguish as she nodded, said she would be back tomorrow, and closed the heavy book, dust raising in a cloud from it's pages. He wished she could stay longer, get more value out of the little time they had.

She was sealing her doom, and while he knew she suspected this, she did not fully understand.

How Malchior wished she could understand. How he wished she would stay away.

But at the same time, Malchior couldn't help the huge tornado of elation that was ravaging inside his spectral self, trying to quash all rational thought. Raven had come to him _willingly. _She had picked up the book, opened it, and talked to him.

Thrilling, like flying in his more noble and powerful form.

It was unfathomable, but he was not one to complain.

He saw his jail time in the book as payment for bad deeds. Not the killing. No, that had been justified and in his nature. But losing his way.

Raven was willing to end it, if he taught her.

So at the same time as being overjoyed at the opportunity to talk and see her on a daily basis, he was terrified, because he knew this was the end of her life. When she spoke the spell and let him out, he was going to rip her apart against his will.

Malchior sighed in his prison, now just blank pages again. Seeing her….

She had grown. Her cloak hid most difference, but it was obvious to him that she was no longer a child. He shivered and closed his eyes, trying to see her in his mind. Her cloak was dark blue again. Malchior remembered when it had turned white. For him. Growling, he gave up. No memory could compare to the real thing. It was no use.

Try as Malchior might he couldn't keep his sprits down, couldn't stop smiling, even though he was still stuck in the chamber full of dull, already read books.

Talking to her again brought up memories of old times, when they would spend hours that seemed to pass like minutes, just talking.

It had been a life line for him, and maybe that was why he had fallen for her so fast, so irrationally. In his time that was how things were done, but somehow he had never understood it. The people around him had been getting engaged all over the place, but he had never understood how you could claim to know someone after only being aware they existed for a month or even less.

But then, through the darkness, Raven had appeared, and she had been everything the girls of his time hadn't been. Cynical, angry, dark, self-deprecating and intelligent. And then he could see that maybe the values of his time had rubbed off after all. But that had all ended up moot, so he couldn't understand why he was thinking of it now.

* * *

Try as Raven might, she couldn't shake off the sick feeling, couldn't stop shivering, even though she was back in the 'real' world, where dragons and magic apparently did not exist.

_The wall _was packed to its actual walls today, the weather was nice outside, so the outdoor area was finally being used, Demetri screaming at her every time she ventured to the back room to get stores when she ran out of spoons or stirrers. Something about being late and making up time to increase profits. The group of punks from the other day were back, minus Aaron. Apparently they were unaffiliated with the Church of Blood, because they took no notice of her as she ran around the shop. The blue haired drone was probably on official Church business today, no time for friends.

Raven grimaced and shook too much coca on a girls foamy jumbo hot chocolate, feeling like she had just watched a particularly gory movie, or over the top porno. That wrong feeling, when no matter how much you wanted to, you couldn't stop thinking about it, combined with flu like symptoms of shaking and fever.

She knew no matter how much she tried to distract herself, nothing would strike that particular memory from her head, not when it taken place just over an hour ago. She sighed and flicked her head back to get a tendril of hair off her face. Carrie rushed up to the counter, a tea towel flung over her shoulder and her hair escaping its thick rubber band.

She had been watching Raven, and noticed how jumpy she was today.

"You're slow today." She complained loudly, trying to mask the real reason for coming over to talk to her, though it was plain to everyone she was truly worried. Raven had been acting strange all week, even Demetri had commented.

The darker girl sighed again, and flicked off the blender switch, cutting the growl, much to everyone's relief. She unclipped the bottom and poured the blueberry smoothie into a take away cup with practised hands.

"Fine. I'll hurry up." She muttered almost in frustration. Today was hell, yesterday was hell, and tomorrow didn't look like it was going to be much fun for her either.

"Is it that guy, Aaron or whatever?" Carrie asked in concern, ignoring the man behind her who was scowling at having to wait so long. It wasn't like her shift was going to finish any time soon, no need to hurry to get customers out.

Raven irritably put down the cup and slid it over to its purchaser. Carrie was so obsessed with any man she saw with in a foot of Raven's person that she was turning into a caring sugary freak. Not that she could compete with Starfire, but it was a bit much still.

"Shut up Carrie, its nothing to do with that…_idiot_." she growled, taking a break from working. Her feelings were a little hurt by the fact he had been flirting with her to do some re-con for his boss. Standing still in the workplace felt strange, and She was just waiting for Demetri to burst through the door threatening to fire them both.

Carrie returned her telling off with a sly grin, leaving Raven to glare after her. She knew no doubt Carrie thought something was going on now. Denial was conformation for in her eyes.

Raven groaned inwardly as another customer lined up to order, shamelessly staring at her charka. Her emotions picked up, and she knew instinctively that she needed to take a trip to her mind to calm her feelings down before she snapped and killed a civilian.

Of course, Sebastian would love that. It would make his day, and probably turn him on. Raven was barley listening to the young man as he ordered, wondering dryly why all the good looking ones were murderous freaks.


	6. Elemental magic

"Brother Blood!" The young priestess called out joyfully, leaning precariously over the banister to greet the tall man walking bellow with his entourage. Her breath caught in her throat when he looked up, smiling. Even though she knew he was friendly to everyone in this house, it was still a spiritual experience to realise he could see her.

Sebastian smiled at his followers, or Brothers as he liked to call them, and waved them off. They left with out complaint- they had work to do after all. The Church's running had to always be double-checked, and some of the more important followers had to be checked up on to make sure they were still faithful. The blond girl named Loretta hurriedly picked up the skirt of her white robe and bustled down the stairs, beaming. The shock from losing Raven last week had worn off and now Sebastian felt as if nothing could go wrong. His Brothers and Sisters had everything organised, so, at the click of his fingers, Raven would be subdued, and taken from her accomplices. Life was good staying in this English-style mansion, and if a pretty Priestess wanted to talk to him, since he wasn't yet married, then all the better.

He had to enjoy it while he could, demonesses were not known for liking to share. As soon as he was married he knew she would be the boss. Though, his only boss.

"Hello sister." he said easily. His father would never have addressed his followers this way, and Sebastian got a vindictive pleasure from it. Loretta looked confused for a moment, before her expression shifted into elation and pride.

"Brother Blood." She breathed, cheeks tinged with pink. She was about twenty two, yet acting like a thirteen year old. A few more members of the Church passed by, while two older priests dressed in the more traditional grey robes stood in the corner eyeing them warily.

This house was being used as the main base for now. It was perfect in the fact that it was understated, in a quiet, rich Californian suburb. Barred from view mainly by the huge rose bush fence that stretched around the property line. Only the Church's most important members lived here for now, and the young priestess was probably an intelligent and diligent woman, who rose through the ranks because of talent and aptitude.

"Call me Sebastian." he said, offering a hand. "It is wonderful to finally speak with you, Tobias has told me how much you have helped with the wedding preparations."

At this, Loretta's face lit up. Not because of the praise, because of the mention of the wedding. Even though she found Brother Blood attractive and charismatic, the thought of Raven finally taking her place with him made her heart leap. Having a part in making it happen was magical.

"It was a pleasure." she said sincerely. Sebastian grinned. It was so much easier for him to love his position when his flock was so pleasant.

"Cool." He nodded, once again showing his more modern vocabulary, and ignoring the disdainful look from Aden, his adviser. A boy with ice blue hair, who was not a priest nor full member of the church, easily recognisable because of his street civilian clothing, came up behind him. The Priestess raised her eyebrows at him.

Sebastian however, spun around and pulled Aaron into a one armed hug.

"Hey buddie." he grinned. Aaron grinned back. Sometimes he found it hard to believe his old friend had actually killed his father. It was too big a stretch of the imagination to picture his friends grin disappear as he filled out the curses requirements. Still, the proof was in the uniform.

The priestess stared at the man who wasn't even properly initiated into the church, yet hugged her leader like a best friend.

"Just come to report, well, actually, nothing." Aaron admitted. He had been tailing Raven, that was his job, and he was good at it. That was why his oldest friend had given him the job.

"Is Raven still not coming out?" Sebastian asked off-handedly. Aaron nodded.

"She went to work three days ago, haven't seen her since. Its not like I can get close to the tower. One look at me and _all_ of the Titans will be outside"

For the first time in a few days, Sebastian looked slightly angry.

"I can't believe she's still _working._" He growled at the ground with narrowed eyes. He wasn't troubled by the news of Ravens movements.

The forgotten priestess frowned. He sighed. "Just keep watching her Aaron, she had to come out soon. Can't fight destiny."

In the corner, the two old priests inwardly growled.

It was clear to them the old ways were being lost through this boy, yet they could do nothing about it. One man gestured to the other that they should leave now, the most important part of the conversation, pertaining to Raven's whereabouts, was over. Retiring to the study, unnoticed by Sebastian, his friend, and the girl. The oldest man, Aden, shut the door quietly and sat down on a large white armchair.

"Sometimes I wish leadership was passed on differently." Tobias muttered, still standing.

"You know he will be a good leader." Aden said, though he was frowning. "The title of Brother blood passed on the same way it always has. This is normal. Progress is normal. These are modern times, and the church will adapt like it always has"

"He's treating his position too lightly! The portal should be here already, but he is just letting those…_Titans_ take care of her. She's working in a coffee shop for Satans sake!" Tobias complained further. He had respect for the boy, in all honesty his father had been too showy, but that didn't stop him hating the new brother blood's laziness.

"Just be patient Tobias." Aden smile wisely. "Raven Roth shall be with us by the end of the month, and soon enough, she will be with child. Everything is on schedule." He looked out the window to the small large garden outside, where a few children were playing outside. His own grandchild among them.

"Do you have an alter?" Malchior's British accent cut through the air but Raven could barely hear him. Inside she felt numb, a plan to stave off the lingering attraction she felt to his voice alone. The only thing that seemed to have worked so far, from a long list of ideas that didn't.

"Do I look like a complete amateur?" She asked the paper man sharply, turning away from him. Even though he weighed less than the thick black candle she was holding in her hand, she still felt uneasy when she couldn't see him.

Undoing the enchantment that barred her main room off from the hidden cupboard filled with the most questionable things she owned, The man behind her watched

Every move Raven made was enchanting to him, after a century of blank pages. Magic was truly in everything she did, everything she was. But that was not all that kept him watching.

"No. Of course not my'lady." He answered swiftly.

Raven ignored his comment and dragged the intricately carved alter from its resting place, fingers wiping off the dust that had collected there.

It was easier for her to do this in her room, away from the other titans. It was an impossible thought that they would watch everything that went on. And she thought they felt the same way. It would be awkward and they would feel like intruders. This still felt private and _right_ to her, even after all these years and all she now knew. Robin had tried to stop her, stubbornly insisting he watch, but she had simply told him this was the only way she could learn.

She felt like she was doing something she shouldn't, and was about to be caught out any second.

Raven set the alter in front of Malchior's imposing yet at the same time weak paper figure, taking a step back to add much needed distance.

She could never stand close to him. Feeling his aura on her skin was painful, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

Every time she did this Malchior took notice. It hurt him to know that the truth would send her into his arms, but he couldn't say it. All he had to do was tell her about his curse, and she would immediately understand. She was intelligent, he wouldn't be so in love with her if she wasn't. She would listen to him, because she was patient. And she would believe him because he would be, for once, honest.

But it would be her doom sooner than expected, so all he had to do was bare her cold demeanour for now. And it was easy, because no matter how cruel she was, a minute alone with her when she was furious was much better than a second without her at all.

Raven set the final candle down, making sure all thirteen were perfectly in their spot in the circle surrounding the carved alter.

"Was that made specially for you?" Malchior asked, gesturing towards the Raven at the top of the alter where the books were placed atop its wings. Each feather was placed with extreme care and the effect was beautiful.

She straightened up, nerves loose. Last time he had taught her magic, she was unable to control it. Deep down she was afraid she wouldn't be strong enough to hold it, but the thought was noxious and she quashed it.

Sebastian would not have what he wanted if she had anything to do with it.

"I said no questions about my personal life." She snapped. The paper man laced his fingers together.

"This could have magical significance Raven." he said, walking slowly over to the pile of books and waving his hand over the cover of the topmost one. It opened, and he swept his eyes over the page. Raven took a deep steadying breath. Giving him information about herself made her feel that she had no control.

That was what she was striving for. Control. Without it, Malchior would win in her eyes, and she would be weak again.

"Yes. It was made for me." she said under her breath. Malchior looked up, blue eyes smug.

"Smashing. It's better to have a connection with your tools." he informed her. "This book," he nodded to the tome his hand was hovering over. "Is a good place to start."

Raven walked over to him, waiting patiently until he took his hand away before she picked it up and placed it on the alter. Malchior eyes darkened significantly.

She looked over the cover.

_Elements. _

It was simply titled. She had skim-read it before, but it was a difficult and depressing read, in part because it was made for creatures with very specific powers that she had assumed she would never acquire. It made no sense to go further than soaking up the history and uses for controlling elements, since she had no chance of learning how.

"I can't do this." She said, shaking her head. "No one can just _learn_ elemental magic."

"Not just anyone has me as a teacher." He replied, standing much too close to her body. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. "I suppose you know that only people born with the talent and extremely powerful sorcerers can control elements?"

Raven nodded, eyes carefully trained on the books heavy pages so she wouldn't look into his eyes and get lost.

"I think its best to start you off with the hardest thing possible, that way anything else you wish to learn will come more easily, if of course you can master this art."

The way he said it sounded like a challenge to Raven. This was good. It gave her something to focus on, other than his lullaby voice.

"Fine." She muttered, flipping pages until she was on to the theory part of the book, which was mainly the second half. Stepping back, she left it to Malchior to figure out where to start. He looked down at the pages, taking a few minutes to read over it while Raven stood back, watching every facial twitch or sweep of his blue eyes. Finally he sighed and stepped back.

"Are you rested?" he asked, and his voice had changed. Instead of the soothing lilt, it was more focused, more controlled. His voice that he used when teaching.

"Yes." This was a lie. Raven had tossed and turned all night, finally settling on meditating until dawn broke. It was impossible to sleep with all the thoughts swirling around her head.

"Excellent. You'll need it." He smiled faintly. "Are you ready?"

Raven took a deep breath, collecting all her thoughts. She could not allow Sebastian to win her. She had to do this, for herself, and for the world.

* * *

**Well, there you go. Its not very long, and not particularly good, but tell me what you think anyway.**


	7. Playing with Fire

**Now **_this_** has taken a while. But its finally done. Thank the lord. Praise Jesus. **

* * *

Raven limped down the street, every cell in her body aching and screaming at her to turn around and sprint away from work as fast as she could. The wind picked up with a malicious roar and simultaneously helped her move faster and caused her to almost trip over her own feet. Pushing her bangs out of her face, she cursed Malchior and stepped into the thankfully wind-free coffee shop.

It was empty save a few men in the corner discussing something clearly private, in urgent whispers. Carrie stood at the counter, looking bored out of her mind, cleaning the coffee machine with a dirty cloth. Somehow, her feathery red hair was still in place. She spotted Raven and dropped the cloth she was holding in order to hold her hands up to the roof as if praising Jesus.

"Raven!" She cried happily, causing the men to look up and stare at her in annoyance. "Finally someone lively in this joint!"

Raven muttered a greeting back, too tired to make it clear or even audible. Carrie placed a hand on her hip and picked her cloth back up again.

"Well, lively enough." She amended with a frown and a sigh, wiping smudge marks on the coffee machine's shiny metal parts around. Raven hobbled around the counter, intent on making this shift at work as painless as possible, praying to Azar that Dimitri was out and wouldn't be back for a long, long time. She was late again, but this time it wasn't her fault.

For the last five days, every spare moment, apart from the times she could use work or sleep as an excuse to get away, she had been studying with Malchior. And it wasn't like the first time, where it had been a slow steady process punctuated with flirting and liberal criminal interruptions. This time Malchior had followed her initial wishes and refused to stop for small talk.

Raven liked to think she had a lot of stamina. Making magic everyday the way she did with the Titans, working out with Robin and keeping up the facade of not being bothered by Cyborg and Jinx took a lot of energy. But it was nothing compared to what Malchior had just put her through. Trying to control and conjure elements was not something she was made for. Her body and mind for once refused to be a cohesive being and co-operate. Even snuffing out a candle by controlling the flame was agonising, causing Raven to start shivering and lose concentration. It took too much energy, and it wasn't helped by the fact she was always watching her back, always on her guard in case Malchior tried something.

She was very aware that in her half-living state, she would be easier for Malchior to manipulate with a small amount of sympathy.

Raven stifled a sigh, and bent over to open her small backpack and pull her apron on. Her back almost seized up, her calves and thighs aching in protest.

"What's wrong with you?" Carrie asked, ducking down behind the counter with her, looking concerned rather than teasing now.

"I... just haven't been getting that much sleep lately." Raven said hoarsely, not even bothering to try and make it sound convincing. The redheads eye's narrowed.

"Don't give me that old excuse." She replied, quite seriously. Raven inwardly groaned.

"Just leave it Carrie. I really don't have the energy today." She muttered, allowing Carrie to help her get upright again, black apron in hand. She felt like an old woman.

"Alright, but you look sick. Maybe you should go home."

"No!" She yelled before she realised how loud she was being. Carrie stared at her as if she were going crazy. Maybe that was it. Maybe being locked up in her room with a centuries old dragon was the thing that was finally snapping her. "I mean, no, I'm fine. And besides," She gestured out the window with her free hand, to the people on the street's struggling to walk straight against the roaring wind. "I don't want to go outside for a while."

Carrie nodded suspiciously.

"Riiiggghhhtt. But I agree with you about the wind. Its insane. Sure there aren't any weather monsters out there who need taking care of?" She asked with a sideways glance and a wink.

It was supposed to be a secret that _the _Raven of the teen titans worked here, but that didn't stop Carrie from asking about it all the time. Raven snorted. If anyone was going to be taking care of monsters, it would be Robin. By no stretch of the imagination would it be her. She'd be beaten by C_ontrol Freak_ in this state.

"Can you go ask those guys if they want anything else? They've been sitting at that table for hours, and they finished their last round of coffees a good thirty minutes ago."

Wondering why Carrie didn't just do it herself, she went anyway, picking up a ratty note pad and pen from the edge of the counter, trying to ignore the burning pain from the arches of her feet to her hair follicles.

"Can I get you anything el-"

"Hello Raven." Aaron said lightly with a smile that almost would have seemed normal, except for the hard, obsessive stares she was getting from every other man at the table. Taking a careful step back, she glared at him, hoping he wasn't here to kidnap her. She didn't know if she had much fight in her today.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed. Aaron's recognisable blue hair was covered by a dark beanie today, the reason she hadn't seen him earlier. There were about five other men at the table, their ages ranging from twenty to about sixty, all wearing dark, uniformed coats over their clothes. Apart from Aaron, they all seemed slightly awed by her presence, pale and corpse-like as she was at the moment.

It suddenly occurred to the sorceress why Carrie had wanted her to take this order. She still thought there was something going on between Aaron and herself. The motive behind Carrie's action was unexceptional, so the thought of it was calming in the face of such madness.

"Sebastian wanted to see how you were doing." He said, as if he were surprised at her tone. "You've been looking tired lately, and he wants to know why." he added, looking over her, probably seeing the dark circle's under her eyes and her thin limbs. She had lost three pounds since she started training with Malchior. Three pounds that were conspicuous it their absence. Three pounds that she needed.

She fought back a shiver at the thought of them watching her every time she left the tower. And at the other violations they wanted. Sickening.

"Leave." She ordered. Compulsively, two of the men shot up out of there chairs almost comically, before lowering themselves back down, wide-eyed, on the receiving end of a few nasty looks from around the table.

One of the older men spoke up, holding his wrinkled hand up in a sign of peace. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on her, reminding her unmistakably of Malchior.

"You don't give orders yet my dear. Soon enough, but not right now."

"Why come here, when you can spy on me from afar?" She asked sharply, ignoring the older mans- comment. He seemed so sure of himself, it was frightening.

"Sebastian would like to offer you the chance to come and stay earlier than you have obviously been planning. So you can get used to the ways of blood, maybe even tailor the ceremony if you like. You are half human, and all human girls want to plan their own wedding, right?" Aaron asked flippantly.

With a deep breath to stop herself from screaming, she forced herself to keep in control.

"_No. _I do _not_ want to plan the _wedding!_ I do _not _want to come and stay either! Because there isn't going to be a wedding!"

She was thankful the coffee shop was pretty much dead today, and therefore there were no civilians to hear this. Carrie popped her head over the till, eyes as round as saucers.

Aaron shrugged and the two older men looked at her as if she were a disobedient child they were quite fond of. They finally stood up, pushing there chairs in as if gentlemen.

"Suit yourself princess, but you could save a lot of energy this way. You might even save your friends." Aaron said as the men trailed out in a line, their eyes still trained on her movements. Aaron shot her a parting wave and followed the members of the church of blood out into the wind.

Carrie rushed over to the dark brooding young woman, her face sympathetic and a little guilty.

"I'm so sorry Raven, I didn't realise Aaron was some physcho stalker. He just didn't seem the type you know?" she said softly, waiting for her to have some kind of nervous breakdown. Raven shook her off, headed for her bag, untying her apron strings with stiff, cold fingers that were shaking slightly.

"Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known." It was obvious from her guilt that Carrie had only heard the parts of the conversation that pertained to stalking and a wedding, making Aaron look insane. Good. He would be kept out of her work place from now on.

"You know you can get restraining orders and that kind of thing. They really work! I had this one boyfriend, Manson, and he was crazy as fuck, trying to get me to do all these really weird, like, sexual-"

"I think I _am_ going to go home sick, tell Dimitri okay?" Raven cut her off. She had heard all sorts of stories from Carrie about her previous boyfriends, and she didn't want to hear about this one, especially if it involved the usual amount of whipped cream. Carrie nodded and watched as she ran out the door, fighting the wind, back towards Titans tower.

It didn't matter how much it hurt. She had to learn as much from Malchior as possible. Today's confrontation had given her a burst of energy, and showed her she had lost sight of what mattered; Getting away from Brother blood, Sebastian, and his sick idea of a marriage.

* * *

Robin read the same page of the news paper three times, hoping beyond hope that by the time he was finished reading it for the forth time, Cyborg and Jinx would have stopped doing whatever they were doing and he could pretend nothing happened when he stood up and headed for the training room because he didn't actually _see _anything. All he had to go by on the fact that something _was _happening was the fact that the giggles and small talk had dissolved into suspicious silence except for the quiet occasional rub of fabric on couch fabric and heavier breathing than he liked.

The doors slid open and unable to pretend any more and glad of a distraction, Robin looked up to see Raven, hair messily framing her face and expression painfully static as she glanced over at the couple on the couch making out, until now. At least they had the decency to stop, something Robin was grateful for. Even if they usually had no respect for decency in his presence, Raven still commanded them with her murderous looks.

"I thought you had a shift at work?" He asked. He had been grateful for her job. It had gotten her out of the house and provided her with a friend or two that didn't know Cyborg or Jinx, in the time she needed it most. The dark times, where she would have stayed alone in her room otherwise. Her barrister job at _The Wall _had frankly been a godsend in Robins eyes. It had shown her that she wasn't the infected, lonely girl she thought she had to be. When ignorant teenage boys had hit on her, she had realised slowly that while the attention was annoying and unwanted, it meant she didn't lose Cyborg to anything less than love.

Raven had become quite beautiful, in a strange way, he often thought. At least she knew Jinx and Cyborg where in love, and she didn't lose him because she was ugly. That was something, in a way. Though he didn't think the usual girl insecurities affected her much, he didn't like to take the chance.

Raven tore her eyes away from the couple and forced herself to answer Robins question in a calm tone. Jinx looked back sheepishly, a doe in the headlights of Ravens glare. Cyborg avoided her eyes completely.

"Dimitri said I could go home. No customers on a day like this." She lied effectually, gesturing out at the city through the window, where leaves could be seen ripping past on the speed of the violent wind which hadn't let up at all. If anything, it had gotten worse. Robin nodded, believing her. Before he could tell her to go see Malchior, she was out the sliding door and into the hallway, regretfully headed for her room.

The usually very able sorceress had no energy left to try, but she knew she had to summon some from somewhere. Malchior had followed her request for no small talk, and in return she had to spend every free moment practising. You reap what you sow, and in her case, she had sewn herself into a contract.

If she didn't learn, then she might as well seek Sebastian out now, because without Malchiors knowledge she would surely lose and become his unwilling wife anyway.

As soon as she entered the room, the large ivory book on her bed opened, and cerulean eyes stared back at her. She tried not to be frozen in place by them, but it was useless.

"I thought you had 'work'?" The dragon asked, echoing Robin. In his opinion, standing around and pouring drinks was not work. In Ravens opinion it wasn't really either, but it was her only break from magic, so she had insisted.

Raven considered, for a second, telling Malchior about Sebastian, and Aaron, and the Church, but once again kept her mouth shut. It would invite sympathy, and sympathy from the lizard invited trouble.

"Cancelled." She said simply, dragging her alter out of the corner of her room. When she glanced up again, Malchior was sitting on her bed. He flicked his hand over the book closest to him, opening it out to a page on fire. Raven knew what to do.

Taking the customary deep breath, she lit the thick black candle on top of the alter and watched it flicker. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel it with her soul, not just with her body.

"That's it. Feel it." Malchior murmured softly, so as not to break her concentration. She huffed.

He loved this. Loved watching her try so hard. Something drove her forward relentlessly, something he couldn't fathom. Pure determination kept her coming back to him, even though she hated him for what he had done to her. Therefore Malchior loved that determination. Because it allowed him to spend time with her as a teacher. At night, when she finally allowed herself to sleep, he went over their sessions, erasing any hostility she had shown him, until he could pretend that day had been like the early ones they had spent. It made the urge to tell her what had _really_ happened to him when he was first let out fade a little.

The dragon had chosen fire as the first element she should learn to control, because she had fire in her. As a demon, as a determined, furious, and scorned woman, fire was her calling. And though she didn't think she was getting anywhere, Malchior could see quick progress. This skill was supposed to take years to learn, and Raven could tap into it in a week. He didn't tell her how far ahead she was, because that might slow her progress.

Raven knew getting at the fire was dangerous. If you tapped into fire, then lost control and were unable to tap out again you could burn to death without it even physically touching you. Pushing back her tiredness, she tried again. Though the actual flame was tiny, just a lick of fire, the heat she felt everywhere in her was as if she were standing in front of a burning building.

"Now try and put it out. Not with your powers."

His voice... _why was it so distracting?_

A sting on her palms, and her eyes shot open. Her hands were burnt.

Malchior looked over them sympathetic. She stayed silent, wishing he would yell at her for losing concentration, rather than tell her to run them under cold water. The half-demon would have rather healed them herself, but knew that was impossible right now. She was sapped of all energy and if she regained any it needed to be stored for more important things. Sebastian was killing her, one way or another.

"You really should bandage them. They look quite nasty." He murmured, apparently concerned. Now where had that great concern been when she had set him free? Where had it been when he had held her in his claws and threatened to kill her?

"Its fine." She snapped, thrusting her hands to her sides. In reality, they were stinging like hell. Each palm had been burnt in the middle, like she had stuck each one over a lighter in the very centre for a minute. If you played with fire, and she was, you were bound to get burnt sometime.

"You need sleep." Cerulean eyes stated calmly, as if he had not heard her.

"_Sleep _is not a topic pertaining to my training."

"It it when your about to collapse in the middle of manipulating fire. In case you hadn't noticed I'm merely paper, and that is not going to be helpful when I have to try and douse your burning body!" He snarled back at her. Finally, a rise. Raven closed her eyes and tried to suck his tone in. It wasn't friendly, soothing, seductive, or any of the other tones he used when talking to her. It was the real him. She needed to remember it.

"If I recall correctly, its your fault your _merely _paper, not mine." she hissed, pressing her palms together tightly to stem the pain with pressure. Malchior's eyes lost all their fury, and became downcast.

"As true as that is, you need rest if you want me to continue teaching you." He sighed. With a dark look Raven slammed the ivory, bejewelled book cover shut as forcefully as she could manage with the tips of her fingers to avoid the burns, and watched the guilty paper man fade back inside. Though her hands were stinging and his comments had aroused fury that had been dormant for a while, it had been worth it so she could finally sleep. At least she had felt the fire quicker today, and that was something. Progress, even if she had pushed it and ended up getting hurt.

She pushed the book off her bed covers and heard it land with a satisfyingly loud thump. Though dropping him couldn't and wouldn't hurt him, it sounded like it should and that was something.

Though she didn't see it, the book flung back open on impact and now the pair of blue eyes could once again see out into her room. Malchior couldn't see her face, but he could see the pale hand dangling over the side of the bed, nails painted a chipped black and palm brightly scolded. She had been right when she said this was all his fault, yet it only made him want out more.

The urge grew everyday, and talking to her wasn't helping. If he wanted to hear her voice, when he heard it he wanted to talk. If he got to talk, he wanted to stay talking. If they stayed talking, he wanted to touch her. And if he ever did get to touch her, it would be the last thing he did.

His desire for her was like a fire, consuming everything, yet never satisfied until nothing was left but charred wreckage. Malchior didn't want to be that way, and for now he would fight it, but he didn't know how long this resilience would last. Any day now he would crack open and it would all come pouring out.

* * *

**Can I get a hallelujah! I just know that's spelt wrong. :(**

**Please review, tell me what you think.**


	8. Progress

**Thought I should update this, since I haven't in a while. Just to let you know I haven't forgotten it :) It's short but it's there, which is the important part I think. I read over this story recently and just wanted everyone to know the early chapters are terrible so I fixed them. I started writing this in, god, 09? I was clearly an idiot then. It might be a good idea to read over from the start, and forget that many errors ever existed. Seriously, if I had been reading it I would have given up.**

* * *

Hands tightly bandaged, Raven winced as she carried two coffees over to the far table. The heat from Pippa's newest creation, the_ triple-chilli Aztec, _seemed to get sucked into the wounds from yesterdays session with Malchior and she was ready to throw the searing cups by the time she reached her destination.

"Here you go." She muttered through gritted teeth, in what was surely the best imitation of a helpful employee she could manage. Dimitri, who was working on accounts at a nearby table, glared at her. He expected indifference from his employees, not irritation.

"Woah, what happened to your hands?" One of the slack-jawed idiots (and he _had_ to be an idiot, for ordering one of Pippa's monstrosities) exclaimed in an exaggerated New Jersey drawl. It made her long for the soft refinement of British accents before she even realised what she was thinking. Perhaps it was because she caught herself thinking such a thing that she slammed the cups down so ink-black coffee dotted with red flakes slopped over the marble tabletop. Though she tried to attribute her disregard to the heat.

It was true the bandages made it look as if she had been sharpening knives with her hands. But they were the only thing Raven could think of to cover and protect the shiny pink scorch marks that were her palms. Her lack of energy made healing them herself an impossibility.

"Raven!" Dimitri barked just as she began to walk away. "Come here now." She sighed and turned on her heel, taking a seat at her boss's table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carrie approaching not-so-subtely to listen.

"What was that?" he demanded. He was very attractive, when he wasn't yelling. Unfortunately right now his cheeks were redder than a china doll's, and an unhealthy looking nerve was jumping in his forehead.

"People should mind their own business." She replied shortly. Her mind was still on that baffling desire to hear Malchior's voice. A desire she knew was getting her into trouble. Last night she had even dreamt of the filthy Lizard. Dreamt of the old days, the hopeful days, the days when she didn't know how bad things could get.

"This is my business, literally!" He growled.

"Not you, the customers."

"Well, if you want to self-harm, that's your right. Just don't complain when people stare at the evidence. Personally I think it adds to the uniform. Gives us an edge _Starbucks_," He spat the word with venom_. _"will never have. Now get back to work."

She retreated to the back room, content to hide out there taking stock until the end of her shift. She didn't really want to be at work, but she wanted to be at home even less. Anything to get away from Malchior.

She thought perhaps she might hate him even more than she hated Brother Blood. It was all just so personal with Malchior. Every time those eyes appeared on the old parchment pages of that ivory book, every time that lush voice with the poetic lulls and peaks spoke out to her, she felt so intensely it hurt. First, there was the rush through her entire body, the tingling on every inch of skin, from her hair follicles to the undersides of her feet. Then of course, there was the wave of self-hatred, bitterness, rage and above all, shame at her stupidity, as she remembered what he had done. Being Malchior's student was a roller-coaster of emotions. And she should have hated it. The worst part was that she didn't. Even now, she felt a pull back home to the tower, where he would be waiting for her.

Still, if she had to pick between Blood getting his way, and setting Malchior free, she would pick the dragon every time. Sebastian's plan involved the murder or indentured servitude of every mortal on the planet, while if she thought about it logically, how many people could a Dragon massacre at once? Sure, the destruction of a few cities in a fiery inferno would no doubt occur. But humans would find a way to destroy him. Lasers, Kamikaze pilots, nuclear bombs... they would find a way. It was all in the numbers.

"Raven, I'm so sorry. Dimitri wouldn't treat you like that if he knew what you were going through." Carrie said, appearing out from behind a shelf stacked with take-away coffee cups. Raven made a non-committal noise, wanting to be left alone to brood in her perverted thoughts. "Is Aaron still bothering you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." She replied. Robin had reported to her this morning that he had been sighted on the wharfs just watching the tower, as if waiting for it to do something interesting. Sebastian still wanted to know what she was up to, with fifteen days till the new moon. Half her time to prepare was gone. And she had yet to master a single thing. She was spending her precious time playing with candles and having erotic dreams about Dragons. And of course, hiding in the store rooms of _not-Starbucks_ because she was afraid she might secretly still have something for teacher. Which was stupid, because she _knew _she still had a thing for him.

"Carrie, do you think-"

"That you could leave early? I've been waiting to hear you say that all day. Listen, don't bother coming in this week."

"Thanks. But unfortunately, and this may surprise you, you aren't the boss, so you can't really tell me that." she replied dryly. Carrie smirked.

"Oh please Raven, don't be so naïve. Dimitri is wrapped around my pinky finger, has been since the Christmas party last year when he had to many of Pippa's Irish Car bombs and rooted me under the stairs. He may act mean, but he has no self-control, thus must do as I ask or face the wrath of my Lawyer boyfriend."

"You told me your boyfriend was an artist." Raven said, mystified momentarily by this new information.

"Well... his father is a lawyer, and If Jamie doesn't start making any money from painting empty wine bottles soon, I may just make _him_ my boyfriend." Carrie said absent-mindedly, gesturing for Raven to turn so she could undo her apron. She did so obediently. "Mother always said the only man who would ever marry me would be a lawyer. Only type of man with the skills to handle me, she said. But anyway, Get this mess with Aaron sorted out, shouldn't be too hard, with your connections. Don't bother telling Dimitri you've left, slip out the back way. Little Ryan is on after you, and you know how much I'll enjoy making him catch up on the work you've left."

Raven thanked Carrie, and risked some energy by teleporting home. She felt, for the first time in a week or more, that she could spare some. Malchior hurt her personally, but he was the lesser evil. Physical rape was worse than emotional torture. Brother Blood was the thing to avoid. It was funny how often she found herself forgetting such facts.

"Wake up." She said, flicking open his book as she dropped her bag on the floor. "I wasn't asleep." A voice beside her said in amusement, causing her to jump. She turned to see the paper man seated on her bed, much too close for comfort.

"I don't care." she retorted, lighting the candle on her alter. The black wax had melted down to a stump. If she didn't get it today it would need replacing. If she didn't get it today she might as well hand herself over to the Church now, because defeat would be inevitable.

"You seem very motivated today." Malchior commented, watching her closely as she took a deep breath and began to stare into the flame.

"No remarks on my appearance." She reminded him sharply. He fell silent, waiting for her to become one with the fire.

He noted that this time her expression took on the hypnotised quality that meant complete focus faster than ever before. It was a testament to the meditation training the woman named Azar had designed, as Raven had told him about in earlier, more pleasant conversations. In his time, Malchior had never heard of someone picking up elemental magic so fast. Today he had a leaping feeling in his figurative chest as he watched her body become loose, like there might be another breakthrough. He felt himself begin to speak to her, give her guidance and encouragement. He had never considered the possibility of becoming a great teacher before she had come along. Something about her made him want to pour all his knowledge into something useful. Perhaps it was the recognition that she had the mind and abilities to cope with the magic he had given away everything to attain. Perhaps it was simply a desire to help her with whatever she wanted help with so desperately.

"Now put it out Raven." He said, relishing her name on his tongue. Treasuring the way she did not snap back. Instead, he saw her struggle to do as he asked, her burnt hands twitching.

For Raven, at that moment there were only four things in existence. There was herself of course, then the candle. She could not tear her eyes from it. Then there was the fire. It was inside of her. It was the energy to keep her alive. She was made of it. She breathed it in. She breathed it out. It tried to consume her but she would not let it. She held it inside boundaries made from her will, controlled it in a way that was not natural. It lashed and bucked wildly, but she would not allow it to escape.

The fourth thing was his voice. Smooth. Urgent. He unleashed wave upon wave of complicated instructions, spoken as if to a lover. She could just barely do as he asked, using all the power she possessed in her human form. She drained her body of it, and forced it out toward the flame.

Beyond those four things was darkness, limbo, at least to her.

To Malchior there was just one thing, and that_ was _Raven. He spoke as if each word was a way to touch her. He knew his instructions could keep her safe as she burned on, struggling against the flame flickering on it's wick. He moved behind her without realising it, felt the ghost sensation of touch as he put paper to skin, the closest thing he could get to the real thing. When Malchior knew she was close to her goal he gave her the incantation she needed, the final piece in what was the most beautiful instance of dark magic he had seen in lifetimes.

"Say it like you mean it." He ordered breathlessly, even though he had not taken a breath in over a thousand years. And then she did, the words slipping out from between her lips like a death cry, or perhaps, he imagined, a moan in the height of ecstasy.

"_Aduro coniuncta!"_

The tiny flame vanished, the room was bathed in darkness, and Raven fell to the floor in exhaustion. Barely herself, burning with fever, she tugged off her jacket, her shoes, any free piece of clothing she could grasp at before her skin began to cool and she regained her senses enough to realise she had done it.

Malchior, to his credit, did not say a thing, knowing it would distress her. When she realised she was lying in front of him in her underwear she would be horrified enough. He would have liked to tell her how beautiful she looked, panting in the light of the half-moon, glistening with sweat and the after glow of spectacular magic. Instead, he sat watching her. It had been a century since he had seen a woman in such a state. It had been eternity since he had seen a woman like her.

Eventually her violet eyes slid to meet his blue ones, and she gave a short, startling little laugh.

"I did it. I put out a candle." The way she said it, with such sarcastic joy, made him laugh.

"That you did. A great achievement, though I would be hesitant to use this method in any cases where simply blowing it out would suffice." He said in amusement. The expected snarl did not eventuate – she laughed again. Malchior had never seen her do so before, and the sight of her features lighting up that way made him ache to be free. He could feel the spell she had used to bind him to the book. It was akin to sitting in the same position for years, held down by cobwebs others believed to be iron shackles. It took all his will power to keep himself still. He had to constantly remind himself of what would happen if he didn't.

"By the end of the month I should be on to lighting camp-fires." She said, her tone dampening with each word.

"Don't fear m'lady. Today you broke the dam. You should progress at lightning speak henceforth. I envision you conjuring fire to hold in your palm this time tomorrow."

She shuddered, glancing down at her bandaged wounds. Malchior winced.

"Bad example." He apologised.

This was the old days. The back and forth exchanges where they slowly dolled out what they were made of to one another, lit by the pleasure of each other's company. She met his eyes once more, and for a second they both felt the old connection, until she was startled by the nakedness she saw in his eyes.

In her experience, that look of honest admiration from him was code for deception, manipulation, destruction. Malchior saw her expression darken, like the end of the sunrise when the pinky tinge relinquishes itself to dusk-grey, a sight he still remembered after all those years. She pushed herself up into sitting position and glared after her clothing, strewn about the floor.

"I don't remember undressing." She said, snatching her cloak of the bed and wrapping it around her neck. Malchior had one last fleeting glimpse of the moonlight hitting the curve of her breasts and glowing ethereally before she was covered neck to calve in swathes of fabric.

"You were hot and feverish after. The effect will never be as severe as it is the first time after cracking an element. Once it's mastered, you will barely notice it at all."

"So nice of you to remember to tell me that." She snarled, gathering up the clothes. Malchior had no idea where she was finding the energy to roughly shove her carved alter out of the way, and stack books.

"I apologise. I merely forgot. When I experienced it myself, I was a boy of sixteen."

The Sorceress said nothing, but he could tell her fury was fading, and with it, her righteous energy. She all but collapsed onto her bed, eyes fluttering shut.

"Shut yourself." She murmured. Malchior meant to do so immediately, but somehow he found himself watching her face in sleep. It was dangerous to do so. It only made him want out more. He imagined she would look similar in death, when the invertible occurred. When her breathing became regular, he shut himself back inside his prison to brood on their mutual demise.

He wondered if he could ensure she would be far away, and then break free when she was out of his reach. He knew that he would surely murder someone immediately, draconic blood lust being too strong an urge to ignore. If there was the off-chance it wouldn't be Raven he killed, he could certainly live with such a price. He wouldn't even mind murdering one of her useless friends who had once called her creepy and been afraid of the magic he taught her. But there was so much uncertainty. A girl like Raven was likely to stick around to see what he was up to if he asked her to stay away, and if he told her the truth...

Malchior had once been a strong man. Tempered by the harsh conditions of his homeland, calloused from defending himself against villagers who thought his learnings devilish, he had been a perfect warrior. Unfeeling. Unflinching at the kill. Powerful and skilled in all kinds of magic, dark and light. Yet a thousand years in the book had rendered him the most hopeless creature imaginable. Impotent against Rorek's bonds, he had become most unconfident in his powers. He had underestimated the powerful urge to kill that came with being a Dragon when Raven released him, after having been separated from it so long. Then the torture of restraining himself from tearing open Raven's spell work in the last few years, weak from the emotional turmoil she'd been in while casting it, had left him longing for her. Every smile of hers made his paper heart thump faster than it had when he'd been in the clutch of adrenalin, moments from death.

If he told her the truth, and she believed him, favoured him with a radiant, hopeful, look, he would burst. Literally. Malchior knew he would forget himself, free himself from the book and emerge as a murderous dragon bent on killing the first thing he saw.

Tell the truth, kill her immediately. Lie and continue to help her, and still kill her- but later on and after spending time together. Do nothing and remain in the book going slowly insane under bindings so weak he could almost taste freedom, and kill her when he finally cracked.

Malchior cried out in frustration, the sound echoing around his gaol. Raven slept soundly for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Raven woke to the realisation that not only did she now have some form of power over an element, but more importantly, that disgusting Dragon had seen her in her underwear. She threw herself upright, shooting a glare at the seemingly innocent ivory hard cover perched on her alter and changed as quickly as she could. If it turned out he could see out of that thing, Azar help his immortal soul.

She entered the kitchen and boiled the jug, feeling for the first time a spark of hope for the future. If by tonight she could go from putting out fire to conjuring it, she had a real weapon to use against Sebastian and his drones when he came for her. Last night she had felt semi-sedated under the heady rush of power, out of control and illogical. Even though at the time she'd been barely aware of what she'd been doing physically, so wrapped up in her mind as she had been, she remembered quite clearly Malchior's high hopes for fast progress.

Even the sight of Cyborg and Jinx necking on the couch didn't revert her back to self-pity.

Considering her breakthrough, the next logical move was to inform the team of her progress and, to minimise the very real risk of burning-out, get straight to meditating. Yet she felt like doing neither of those things. To tell the others would invite worried questions. They had taken to treating her like she might dissolve into hysterics if someone slammed a door or raised their voice. She knew they meant well. She had an inkling, due to the tower being so quiet and deserted lately, that Robin had increased trainings in a dual effort to be ready for Sebastian and give her some peace and quiet. But just as last time, she felt bound to keep what went on in her lessons private. The team just wouldn't understand. They thought magic was instant, like turning on a computer. She was sure from the casual way they were behaving (when she wasn't around) that they had grandiose notions of what was going on behind her locked door when she was with Malchior, and didn't want to disappoint or panic them.

The thought of meditation was equally unappealing despite the renewal of energy it might have brought. She didn't like to think about how her emotions were faring at a time like this, but judging from the way she had acted towards Malchior in the afterglow of cracking elemental magic... well, she assumed logic must have been taken prisoner by lust and a host of other disagreeable emotions.

So instead of doing what was responsible, she drank her tea and made Jinx and Cyborg very uncomfotable with the stony look she fixed on them. She wondered how she would feel about this new arrangement with Malchior if Jinx had never come into the picture. She thought she probably wouldn't feel so conflicted, which made another huge emotional problem in her life Cyborg's fault. _What a dick. _

Since she'd decided to abandon all logical moves, she supposed she had better get back to playing with fire. She turned and headed back to the dark cave that was her room, but stopped halfway there at the sound of footsteps. They were heavy, far too heavy to be Robin's careful tread or Beastboy's light steps. Starfire usually liked to float a few inches off the ground and unless Jinx had gained a lot of weight (Which would please Raven immensely) it couldn't be her. She turned, to come face to chest with Cyborg. Somehow, spending so much time with Malchior had rendered her numb to the pain of seeing him, so she felt slightly detached as she looked up to his face to see what he wanted.

"Hey Rae... Haven't talked to you in a while." He said nervously. She felt odd watching him, like this didn't really involve her at all. He said it like not talking to her was a strange occurrence, and perhaps it might have been... seven months ago,before he had gone and ruined everything. There was no reason for the two to talk any more, so she stared at him, uncomprehending. "I.. uh, just wanted to know how everything was going with _Malchior_." He said the name with unhidden disgust, and Raven bristled, hearing the implication the situation was somehow her fault. She did not want to share anything with Cyborg, even a hatred of that evil dragon.

"Fine." She answered swiftly, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt the urge to snap out the same thing she had told Malchior, that there were to be no questions about her personal life, but she kept silent in hope of ending the conversation. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Listen, I want everything to be okay between us." He began, but she cut him off before he had the chance to get into his stride. Things would never be okay between them in her opinion. Not while that pink-haired bitch skipped around the tower flaunting their relationship.

"That's a nice thought Cyborg, but you and I both know things between us will never be _okay_." She hissed, before starting to walk away with the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, as if to sense the likelihood he would follow. He didn't, so when she rounded the corner she stopped, heart beating, to listen for his departure. She wasn't numb like before, and something about his behaviour was too odd to simply discount. She listened to his heavy footsteps headed back in Jinx's direction, her mind whirring with suspicion she didn't really have the energy for.

* * *

**So turns out cracking elemental magic is a little more sexual than I'd envisioned. Somehow when I was writing that scene it became slightly inappropriate. Perfect. **

**I had all but abandoned this story until I went back over it's reviews and saw all the people who'd taken the time to read and critique it. I couldn't leave it alone after that! So Heady is officially back at the top of my to-do list (Along with Incandescent, please don't yell at me) :)**


	9. Testing the Water

**Gah, tried to upload last night but the site wouldn't let me. I think it was karmic punishment for not uploading for so long. If anyone's interested, Falter will be updated tomorrow or the next day. **

* * *

It occurred to Malchior early in their training that after so many years living almost comatose in the book, teaching Raven stirred his emotions into a bubbling froth. Every moment spent with her drove him into a frenzy of feeling, so different from the lethargic soup of bitterness and plotting he existed in otherwise. Just the sight of her turned his existence from monochromatic to colourful and forced upon him layer after layer of emotion.

First there was the regret. When the book had first opened, and he had first seen her, the attraction had been instantaneous. Though, like much of his human interactions when he had been free, the relationship he carefully built up over a course of weeks was self-serving and temporary in his eyes. She was pretty, and she was powerful, and after a thousand years of dusty books for company, was she ever bloody interesting to talk to. He'd enjoyed watching her blush with each compliment he paid her, found it amusing because they were all true and he did not have to lie once, not about that. He hadn't realised that there had been genuine affection between them until just before she had released him, and once she had, well... that was history. He hadn't meant to come out as the dragon, but that was the past. Only when she had stood up to him, stared him in the face and cursed him like few men and absolutely no women had ever dared do before had he seen the huge value in her. Brooding in his newly weak confines, he'd realised he not only respected and recognised his equal in the demoness, but that he loved her too.

That came next. The love. It was not a peaceful, positive emotion, like one would think. Rather, it was almost unbearable. For Malchior love was not a pleasant feeling, not in the slightest. It was the closest a feeling could come to physical pain, in his opinion, and he would have done anything to be rid of it if not for the fact it was intrinsicly linked to knowing Raven. It did not sit well with him to be tied to another's well-being through something as flimsy and worthless as emotion. It went against the very nature of the Dragon inside, and reminded him he had started off merely human. Love made him vulnerable, a laughable idea if he really thought about it, considering his currant position. He'd never felt anything akin to it in all his years.

Along with the love came the longing, the desire. Every time she was close to him he felt his mental body flinch beneath the bindings, eager to break free and have her in any way he could. Any way, whether it be to consume her (like his destructive, murderous nature wanted) or, well, _consume _her. Without fail, every time she turned her back he was picturing her panting on the floor, clad in the skimpy undergarments of this time after cracking elemental magic.

The was instinct, the roaring beast inside him that called for blood and glory. It had been that way even before it had taken the form of the Dragon once he'd gained enough power, it had been with him since birth. Instinct was different to longing because it pulled him to her inexplicably, though he thought it recognised a similar darkness seething beneath Raven's surface and wanted to bathe in it. While he knew logically that there were other girls besides Raven out there, instinct didn't want _other _girls. He had the feeling they'd all be the flimsy wretches of his time all over again.

Lastly, and least of all, there was pride. He remembered the way she had once shrunk away from "dark" spells and incantations when he had first taught them to her, and to see her now realising magic was simply _magic _was pleasing. More than that, to see her advance through elemental magic so quickly shocked and awed him as a teacher. With ten days to the deadline Raven had imposed on their lessons, she was able to conjure balls of fire to hold in her hands (palms now healed of their scorch marks), light matches, and bend flames. She had mastered the element of fire in less than three weeks, and proved herself to be a woman unlike any other Malchior had ever met or imagined. Now, hoping to push her to the limit, he had her starting on water. He hoped, that with her ability to control her emotions and create complete calm, she would have an affinity for this element too.

"Alright, I got your water." Raven huffed, hefting the bucket she had been instructed to get onto the floor in front of the paper man. She had been trying to use her powers as little as possible, figuring if they would be no help to her against Sebastian's Shawl of Christ and she had no time for anything other than magical training, she should at least keep active and learn not to rely on them. Malchior, however, couldn't fathom her reasons for this and every time he asked he as given the same answer in monotone. _No personal questions._

"Excellent." He said. "I need you to put your head in it."

"Need I remind you that if you drown me there will be no one to free you." she dead panned, staring at him in disbelief after a quick glance at the bucket. It was bright blue and plastic. Starfire used it to water the small garden she'd cultivated on the roof, which consisted of potted vegetables and flowers that encroached on Raven's favourite meditation spot. It's height was similar in length from the tip of her fingers to her elbow, and she'd filled it to the top as instructed, so water had slopped over the sides as she'd carried it down the hall.

"I would never try and drown you," he said smoothly. If he was going to murder her, he knew he would be doing so with claws and teeth in a loss of self control and a whirl of guilt- the old fashioned way. "This is simply the fastest way to master the element of water."

Raven stared back at her teacher, eyes narrowed. Though it hurt him (but did not surprise him) to know she had lost all trust in him, he found some enjoyment in the challenge she presented. Never before had someone defied him on so many counts. In his younger days he'd had no power or demands for anyone to defy, and once he'd become the Dragon, one count was all the chance they got. He loved her, and the way she tested him, but he loathed to think of the inevitable conclusion.

"Raven, you have given me a deadline. Even though it would help if you explained why you have done so, I respect the fact you won't. However, if you want to reach that deadline with sufficient advances to your magical skill, you're going to have to trust me." He told her gently. Rather than relaying the words like a romantic speech as he would have done in their earlier lessons, he adopted a genuine tone. The voice and manner of speech that she had come to know as his _was_ truly his, but not the his for serious matters. The voice full of expression and passionate words was for lighter matters than this and, noticing it's absence, Raven blinked in surprise.

"What, no comments on my beauty?" She sneered, regaining herself. "After all you've put me through, you expect _me _to trust you?"

"I suppose I can let you face whatever it is your preparing for without my help then." Malchior replied. It was a bluff – he would never give up on teaching her now. He yearned to see her face and talk to her (the pain of love compelled him), and even though he knew when she freed him it would no doubt be her end, he wanted her to succeed at whatever she was trying to achieve with their lessons. As time passed, he saw her become more and more desperate to gain power and knew she would not have come to him lightly. She was facing something that required more than her usual skill, thus something dangerous, and he would never let her go off without the little help he could provide.

Raven stared the paper man down, trying to figure out if he were serious in his threat. Instinct told her this time he was legitimately trying to help her, but she didn't know if she could trust herself. Her mind was a mess of emotions, and her thoughts were split in different directions. Most were on the subject of impending doomsday, the New moon when Sebastian would come to claim her as his unwilling bride. They were spread thin between the tactics for thwarting him, and the things he would do to her if she failed. More still were on Malchior. These mostly resonated in the body: an electric current in the air when he made eye contact, a _zing!_ up her spine when he brushed past, an invisible belt tightening across her lower belly when he spoke in that cultured voice of his. The thoughts about him that were purely mental focused on the madness of lowering her guards around him.

In the back of her mind, where she filed things that would otherwise be important if not for the pressing matter of her potential wedding day, her thoughts were mulling over the Titan's odd behaviour of late, Cyborg's in particular. She was used to the charged atmosphere in the tower, the mixture of sexual tension and awkwardness that screwed their dynamics so thoroughly, but not this new strangeness. Whenever she entered the room they would immediately fall silent before switching the topic to how she was doing. Cyborg kept finding excuses to talk to her, and she had caught Robin giving her pitying looks. The oddest part was that she seemed to share in her confusion with Jinx, who had taken to crying out in frustration whenever she saw more odd behaviour. It was frustrating to Raven that she didn't have the time or energy to devote to solving the mystery.

In short, her nerves were shot and she was in no state to make important decisions like whether or not to trust the dragon who was bound to betray her again. So, her logic failing her, she sighed and knelt by the bucket. Malchior's blue, ink-rimmed eyes flashed in triumph.

"So I just stick my head in?" She snapped, feeling ridiculous. Malchior shook his head, becoming serious once more.

"Like you became one with the fire, you have to become one with the water. It will be easier if you have some of it on you. It's like... cooking with oil verses cooking without. It's a much faster method."

"If it's a much faster method, why didn't we utilise it with fire?" She asked, staring down into the bucket with distaste.

"It's rather hard to cover yourself in fire, the way one can with water." He drawled. He noticed, to his delight, that Raven had gotten very lax with her rules regarding professionalism. He found he could interact with her more now she wasn't snapping at him for joking every five seconds. She was just too tired. "Besides, in a way you accidentally used it. After you burnt your hands, you'll remember you mastered fire the very next day."

She could hardly argue with his logic, so she bit the bullet and plunged her head into the vessel. She could have sat there for an hour splashing handfuls over her skin like a lady, or even demanded a shower, but once again: she was just too damn tired.

Malchior waited for her to surface, admiring the curve of her neck and the graceful hands that clutched the top of the bucket on either side. She emerged with a gasp a few seconds later, glaring and sopping wet.

"What now?" She demanded, slicking her violet hair back off her face. Malchior noted she was equally as beautiful dripping as she was bone dry. _Like a vengeful water nymph, _he thought in amusement. He crossed his arms.

"Now, I want you to part the red sea."

"What?"

"Split the water... Like you're Moses." He replied a wry smile. She allowed herself a moment of indulgent eye narrowing before focusing her mind completely on the task at hand.

* * *

Raven found she liked this element more than the previous one, though that wasn't saying much. Water didn't buck and roar in her mind like fire had. It undulated gently as she cautiously got to know it, before it would suddenly somehow gain power and violently force her back into the real world. For the thirtieth time, Raven lost the connection and held her head over the bucket, coughing what felt like a torrent but was merely a cupfull into the bucket, thankful at least that her lungs had not filled with water - yet. Even so, she hated appearing so vulnerable in front of Malchior. Hunched over, her body wracked by coughing spasms as she attempted to clear her airways for another try. She imagined he revelled in it.

Malchior, however, did no such thing. It neither pained him nor made him happy to see her in such a state every time she failed to control the element. He expected nothing more than excellent progress from her, and that was what he was getting. In his time, he had seen lesser men attempt Elemental magic, only to suffocate when they forgot a vital step to manipulating air, or turn to stone because they were too bold with earth. Despite what Raven thought, she had an innate talent for elemental magic that he assumed stemmed from her emotional control. In his experience, each element possessed a certain _personality. _An aura that one needed to match well enough to connect if one wished to control that element. Raven knew how to calm herself - she was like a blank canvas. She had no problems blocking out external feelings and intuiting what shade to paint herself for the particular element_. _She had both the raw power of a Demon and the self-control of a Saint. For Malchior, seeing Raven choke out water was a good thing, because it told him she was unbelievably close to succeeding.

She threw her head back and glared at him through watering eyes.

"Again." He said smoothly. "This time visualise the water repelling itself more clearly. Create the energy between the atoms in your mind, you need to see it."

If they had been on speaking terms, Raven would have told him that was easier said than done. Nevertheless, she held her hands up over the bucket and visualised the water parting in a way that would make Moses proud. She ended up hunched over the bucket once more, but she tried again and again until her mind was fuzzy and Malchior declared it too dangerous to continue. She'd had enough of his uncomfortably familiar way of talking to her, and shut the book before he could start. Manipulating elements left her extremely tired, and dealing with him on top of it all stressed her out. On the verge of what she felt must be a nervous breakdown, she found herself wanting nothing more than to collapse into his non-existent arms and let that voice sooth her. Raven was having to watch herself with him more carefully, analysing her responses to his quips in her spare time to spot her own weaknesses. She sat down to meditate, only to be interrupted by a call from work.

Despite Carrie's earlier insistence they didn't need her, Dimitri said otherwise. Apparently there was a bug going around, and there was no one to cover her shift - over the phone her boss was almost pleading with her. This in itself was unusual enough to make her say yes. Work was a series of meaningless task she could complete well enough on auto-pilot, which would give her mind as much as a break as meditation would. She needed the money too, for her savings when she left the Titans. That was a positive thought, because it didn't involve Sebastian destroying her. Saving money as motivation made her feel like an optimist, which was refreshing.

An hour later she was sighing and bending down to fetch plastic straws to refill the dispenser on the counter, her thoughts never having left Sebastian but her optimism having long since disappeared. It was strange to know that Brother Blood was looming on the horizon, and be doing nothing about it. Of course she had her lessons, but she was used to plotting with the other Titan's when there was a threat to security. Now there was nothing they could do to help, and going about her day like this only highlighted her impotence against the shawl of Christ. There was no preparation past learning as much as she could from Malchior that would help. She would have to rely on luck more than anything.

A prickle of unease crept down her neck, and she jumped to her feet expecting to see a customer with a complaint. She sometimes felt off-kilter when her instincts picked up on something negative coming her way, but the thought of an angry customer must have been some more of her wishful thinking. Standing in front of her, as if conjured by thoughts of Sebastian, was his side-kick Aaron. His blue spikes defying gravity in a way that reminded her of the Boy Wonder's gelled hair, his smile easy, he clearly wasn't here for another black coffee.

"Raven, how are you doing?"

"Get out!" She hissed, immediately beginning to look for an easy exit out of the corner of her eyes. She couldn't risk him trying to take her now. She wasn't ready! It didn't take long for her to ascertain that there weren't any subtle escape routes - the main doors were blocked by the line of waiting customers that snaked right up to the glass, brought in by the cold. The staff door, which should have been her best option to leave out the back was currently in use by a delivery man bringing in the weekly package of economy stirrers and plastic coffee lids Dimitri had shipped in because they were a couple of cents cheaper than buying from the bulk warehouses along that Wharf that sold everything thing from cutlery to bed frames. The door to the outdoor area (which also served as the mandatory fire escape) would have been her best option if getting out of it did not involve jumping over the counter and sprinting across the shop floor to it before Aaron could reach her. It wasn't like she could teleport out of there without drawing the sort of attention that would make it impossible to work anonymously any more, but she supposed she would have to make that sacrifice if it was the difference between going with Aaron to whatever dungeon Sebastian had prepared for her, or not.

"Relax, I'm just here to say hello. Check up on you. See you're doing okay." he replied. The customers behind him were getting impatient, sighing loudly and glaring at her as if she could propel him on with a few polite words, but Aaron didn't seem to notice. He spoke to her both silkily and with volume, as if she was an animal he had trapped in a remote corner of the forest rather than in a crowded coffee shop. She supposed the two locations were the same to him, the same to anyone who belonged to the Church of Blood. They operated in a manor that meant their acts could be carried out in the open and would still remain private. Witnesses were not an obstacle to them, if they were standing in front of what they really wanted. Most people could be bought, and if they couldn't she was sure they could be bullied, threatened, confused, or murdered.

"You've seen me, now go." She replied. "I have work to do, and you're holding up the line."

Aaron glanced behind him, to the neat and glowering succession of people and shrugged, a grin forming on his handsome face- which had become unbearable to look at now Raven knew who he was, who he was _with. _Trying not to look directly and draw Aaron's attention, she noticed Carrie steam-rolling a path through the patrons toward them. She must have recognised the messy head of blue hair as Aaron and was coming to Raven's rescue. Raven was both hopeful and fearful because of this. There was no telling what Aaron would do if confronted with an angry but innocent civilian - if he would leave as Carrie asked, or do something drastic and possibly violent to get her out of the way.

With a thrill of fear she realised she'd been watching Carrie too long, and Aaron turned to look at her. The two of them watched and Carrie powered towards them with a determined expression that was almost comical on her elfin face, all the while balancing a tray of steaming coffee with the expertise of a woman who'd been waitressing since the onset of puberty. He turned back and arranged his features into a near genuine look of apology. It took someone like Raven, who had a trained eye out for betrayal, lies and acts at all times, to see the smirk beneath the smile and the glint in his eye.

"Sorry about that. I guess I should come back lat - whoops" he took a step back that was slightly too well aimed, and slammed into Carrie just as she was wheeling around to shriek at him. She tripped but didn't fall, though her tray tilted one dangerous angle after another until a cup filled with the same type of coffee that had agitated Raven's palm burns the other day spilled onto a figure near Carrie's feat. A Young boy, who'd been running around the shop for the last half an hour after his mother ignored the wait staff's repeated requests to get him under control. He stared up at Carrie in shock for a moment while the liquid splattered down half his face, and then he opened his mouth in a scream only a toddler could create. His mother, who'd been paying no attention to him while she'd been having coffee with a girlfriend, was there in seconds as he started to wail. "Ouch." Aaron observed, his wince seeming genuine. He looked up at Raven expectantly and she felt her mind freeze.

"Oh my god, his face!" The boy's mother cradled him in her arms, her mild face twisting into a snarl for Carrie. From her vantage point Raven could see half of the boy's panicked face blooming scarlet and swollen, and she knew it was serious. The skin was bubbling, scalded, and she felt (as she often did in the course of her life) like she was watching a movie.

"Take him into the back." She heard herself ordering. Unsurprisingly Carrie was rooted to the spot, her mouth moving in a desperate stream of apology, so it was Aaron who bundled the boy up and took him, still crying, through the door Raven held open while the delivery men dived out of the way. Their eyes met, and she wondered why he was now in help mode when he had done this deliberately. _What is he going to do next?_ He was like Red-x in his unpredictability. One moment conspiring to spirit her away, the next helping her administer first aid to a burn victim he had created for seemingly no reason. Whatever his plan, she knew she couldn't ignore the boy to discover it.

"Hold him under the water!" His mother screeched as she followed them out back. There was a sink there, for washing hands before shifts and after breaks. Close up, Raven could see they were of similar age. She found women with children made her uneasy these days.

"If you want to drown him." Aaron snorted, setting the kid down. He couldn't be older than three.

"He needs to go to hospital." Carrie said faintly. She was leaning against the door jamb for support, her skin the colour of skim milk. But then she looked at Raven in almost the same manor Aaron had. Waiting to see what she would do. Apparently being a hero was ingrained in her more than self-preservation, because she knelt next to the flailing child before logic could tell her to get away from Aaron as quick as possible and let the others take care of the kid. Her hands either calmed or terrified the boy enough that he stopped struggling, and she began to chant. His skin was hot beneath her hands. She tried at first to keep her senses alert enough to be aware of Aaron's position, but found she couldn't heal him thoroughly without focus and gave up trying to protect herself. For all she knew the Church had the building surrounded and there was nothing she could do about it.

When she opened her eyes she was relieved the first thing she saw was Aaron, on the other side of the room. The boy's mother snatched him back to examine his perfectly smooth and even skin, crying her own tears of relief.

"You're that girl, from the news." She sobbed. "You're in the team with Robin-"

That was all Raven listened to before she bolted for the back door.

"Take care of the counter, I'm going home." She murmured to Carrie on her way out. She was pulling her apron off and halfway down the alley towards the street when Aaron caught up with her.

"Wait, I won't touch you. I just want to talk." Despite running to get ahead of her, he wasn't out of breath. She slowed to a stop, very aware that her magical energy was seriously depleted after healing the kid.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded. Aaron winced, but he didn't waste time denying the incident had been his fault. It would have been clear to anyone paying attention that he wanted to knock Carrie over, though whether he had been aiming for the boy was up for debate. The fact that he'd not seemed shocked or panicked when the scalding coffee had burnt him didn't look good.

"We wanted to see what you would do." He said with a shrug, emphasis of the _we_. So Sebastian had sent him to her workplace to cause havoc, and the boy had been a random victim rather than a target or accident. It didn't make her angry - just exhausted. It was her emotional response to almost everything nowadays.

"The Church sent you here to disfigure a child to see my _reaction_?" she asked, with what disgust she could muster. He ignored her.

"To save that kid, you made yourself vulnerable. You were preoccupied and had your back turned."

"You would have preferred me to just leave him?" She asked. "It didn't seem like it, when you carried him out for me."

"No, I didn't like to hurt the kid." Aaron shook his head, and despite herself she believed him. There was some serious doubt in his eyes when he looked at her, and though she didn't know it's origin she knew instinctively it wasn't a bad sign for her cause. "It's just interesting that you chose to heal him. It wasn't life threatening and he would have healed himself in time."

"With hideous scars and huge amounts of pain." She retorted, feeling slightly sick.

"I could have done a lot worse to you when you had your back turned healing him." He sighed, and her mind flashes through all the possibilities, making her question her sanity. Healing that kid had been stupid, dangerous and unnecessary if you looked at the bigger picture, but she couldn't help herself.

"You didn't though." She said, with narrowed eyes. _That's all that matters,_ she told herself. "So I'll be going now."

Before he could say another word she teleported back to her room, her thoughts tangling up in one another. Why had the Church wanted to know what her reaction to an injured child would be? Was Sebastian testing her empathy to sick children? Was it some kind of sick parenting test? Or were they trying to catch her up in a selfish act of cruelty, trying to make her think of herself before others, and doubt her own morality? Was it a good thing that she'd saved the kid while putting herself at risk? She knew her Team would say yes. She thought so too, but there was a part of her that wondered if she'd made a fatal mistake, if she'd revealed more of herself than she should have. If Aaron had discovered something important she'd overlooked in her actions, and the Church would plot to exploit that discovery.

The tired Sorceress lay down on her bed, not even sparing a glance at the Old book sitting closed on her alter. She couldn't deal with the Dragon tonight. Right now she was weak and twisted up in knots, exhausted and stretched in every direction. Attempting elemental magic again tonight as they had planned would be suicide - Much like how a lapse in concentration when manipulating fire could cook you from the inside out, a lapse in concentration when manipulating water could drown you, hence her spewing water after every failure. She didn't fancy the risk dying at her own hands in front of Malchior when she had so narrowly missed the very same fate with Aaron. Knowing full well she would pay for it the next day, she fell asleep in her clothes before the clock struck five in the afternoon instead.

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**I am aware this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but I promise big dramaz next time.**


	10. Something Blue

**God, I am so sorry about these long waits. I wanted to post another chapter of _Incandescent_ before I posted this, but I am having major writers block with that story and I inevitably end up writing more of this one. I think my heart is really into _Heady_ right now. So as promised, here is some dramaz. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews – you are all gorgeous people.**

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Raven didn't tell anyone about her encounter with Aaron and the burnt boy. It seemed pointless to voice her confusion out loud, and odd to expect some useful input from her friends if she did. When she thought about what they would say, an invisible weight seemed to fall on her. Whether they responded with sympathy, anger or speculation, it would not be enough to help her, and the energy expended by telling them would be a waste. It was only now she was really noticing the distance between her and her team mates, that she supposed had wedged them apart with the Cyborg scandal and kept on growing in the months she'd rebuffed their slowly dwindling offers of company. The way they gave her space now came to the point of ignoring her, and of late she found herself feeling like there were two realities that rarely overlapped, one of which she existed in and one of which the Titans existed in. Or else that she were a ghost drifting through the tower, watching but not able to take an active part in any of their lives.

She felt lonely. Once again it was her troubled past (or more aptly, her troubled future) that put the entire world in danger, and once again it ultimately fell on her to fix it. Malchior was there though, and she found herself empathising with the existence he lived out in his book. She imagined what it would be like, feeling this lonely for a thousand years, and had to stop herself going easy on him. With only five days to go until Sebastian's planned wedding date, she had managed to part the water in Starfire's bucket and he'd touched her shoulder with the worn parchment of his hand. They had both frozen after a second, acutely aware of the feeling of paper on skin, before he'd taken his hand away. Without stopping to celebrate her achievement or ask what was next, Raven had slammed the book shut and sat on the floor for an hour, lamenting the way her body and mind were betraying her at the worst possible time.

Now she got up in search of her friends, hoping to rediscover the relationships she'd been neglecting, in order to reduce the importance of contact with Malchior. Her empathy detected them in the common room, and she could taste an odd amount of giddy joy if she concentrated. That was a safe emotional climate to intrude on, so she made for the source of the happiness only to find Starfire and Jinx with their heads bent together in whispered, giggling conversation over the dining table. The sight of them made Raven's heart ache for what she'd let slip away in her grief after Cyborg: for the opportunity she'd given Jinx to slip in as replacement in her absence. She knew it was bad when her first thought was to turn around and teleport straight to her room and re-open Malchior's book for another lesson, despite her embarrassment over that physical contact.

"Raven!" Starfire looked up, blinking in surprise before Raven could get away without detection. Jinx twitched, and she felt a vindictive stab of pleasure that she could still strike fear into the pigtailed brat's heart. While Raven knew _logically_ that it was time to start forgiving Cyborg and Jinx for what they'd done, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The couple was clearly made for each other in ways she and Cyborg hadn't been, and they'd been nothing but kind to her despite her cold glances and silence. If holding onto her grudge made her cruel and bitter, so be it.

A faint smile must have crossed her face, for she heard a rustle of pages and a clearing of a throat and noticed the Boy Wonder glaring at her over a newspaper from the breakfast bar. He was clearly of the opinion her time for punishing them was up. Raven thought he was wrong, that they hadn't paid their debt to her at all. After all, how could they have paid it? She refused to accept any compliments or good deeds. They, Cyborg especially, would owe her for a long time to come even if she did decide to let them begin instalments. Raven did not count herself as a prideful person, yet she found the thought of forgiving them to be humiliating. Almost like she was saying what they'd done was okay. It felt like the sort of pain they'd put her through deserved a lifelong vendetta to mark how serious it was. As if forgiving them in less than a year would trivialise the tears, the torment, the guilt and the self-loathing they'd inflicted on her.

"Finished your lesson already?" Robin asked with a cock of his eyebrow. Raven crossed her arms defensively.

"We had a breakthrough," She drawled. "I thought I'd come to see what everyone else is so excited about."

"Excited?" Jinx asked. There was a sort of hiccup of pitch in her voice, and though she swivelled to look at Raven, her eyes were hovering around her left shoulder. The air immediately turned uncomfortable. Like a cloud had passed over the sun, temporarily dimming the light.

"Yes, I can feel it." Raven replied, her eyes scanning Robin and Starfire for their reactions. The strange feeling they'd all been behaving odd lately, as if they were planning a secret something that didn't involve her, was back. What irked her was that Jinx seemed to be in on it now too. Before she'd been just as prone to loud frustrated exclamations and glares as Raven was to wondering what the hell was going on with the others. Now she was hiding something, and as Raven saw a muscle in Robin's jaw jump and a guilty look cross Starfire's face, she knew she was now the only one out of the loop.

"What's that?" She asked, catching sight of a cream coloured book sitting on the table between Starfire and Jinx. For a second it had looked like Malchior's book, and the words were out before she realised it was both too small, too cheap, and too new to be the one she kept locked up in her room. Jinx looked up, terrified.

"Nothing." She answered, far too quickly, making it painfully clear that it was actually _something_. Knowing she would get nowhere with the ex-criminal, Raven focused on Starfire. She wondered vaguely if her Alien friend was even capable of lying, least of all to _her. _

"It's nice Star, where did you get it?"

Raven never complimented Starfire out of the blue, not on anything cream-coloured anyway. Even so, the response she expected from her estranged best friend was a chirpy explanation of her last adventure to "The mall of shopping". Instead Starfire's guilty look grew to one appropriate for informing your neighbour you ran over their dog.

"It is Jinx's book." she managed helplessly. Of all earth customs, lying was the one she had the least hold on, and it showed. Raven moved closer in an attempt to read the small script across the front cover, but Jinx whipped it off and under the table before her brain could decipher the inverted calligraphy.

"Nothing, is it?" She asked harshly. Jinx refused to say another word. Instead she threw her head over her shoulder, pigtails bouncing in a way that reminded Raven of a petulant five year old rather than a grown woman, and stared determinedly out of the window. The book was clutched between her fingers, and an urge to rip it from her grasp with her powers, or (more satisfactorily) her bare hands seized Raven. Starfire looked petrified, staring down at the table as if pretending to be a statue would free her from any more questions. "Robin, I want to talk to you in the hall." Raven said, her voice steady. Robin clearly didn't want to, but he had no choice - as their leader, it was literally his job to listen to them any time a member of team wanted to be heard. She didn't spare another glance at the pair of girls at the table. For once, she wanted Starfire to feel badly about something. There had once been a time when her best friend had begged her to share every detail of her life, when she had insisted secrets destroyed friendships and lying to each other would be the end of the world. When had it all changed, she wondered?

"What is it Raven?" Robin asked, flicking on the overhead light so the hall looked less like an alleyway one might do drug deals in. She choked back a sharp- _Are you fucking stupid? What do you think this is about?- _and forced her expression to remain neutral. There was a reason she'd let Jinx and Starfire off the hook, and that was because she knew Robin was more likely to cave in and tell her the truth. However if she wanted this to happen quickly, she had to appeal to him, not verbally beat him. That's how it had happened the last time, when Cyborg had been cheating on her and everyone had known. Raven had long ago figured out that the pathetic way she'd swanned in, talking gibberish about Cyborg, had made her look extra pathetic given the circumstances, and Robin just couldn't take it any more. Though Starfire was apparently her best friend, she and Robin shared a bond of the mind that was infinitely more powerful. It was natural for them to want to end each others painful delusions.

"Why is everyone hiding something from me?" She asked. A shadow crossed his face.

"I don't know." His reply seemed rehearsed, but not confident. Like he was scanning his words for anything that might give their shared secret away, and it seemed to her they'd all had meetings about what to say when she finally asked and this was the best response they'd come up with. It was so unconvincing he was compelled to elaborate. "We're all just a bit stressed."

"You're lying." she said mildly.

"I've never lied to you." he retorted, giving her a knowing look. He understood why he'd been singled out by her for questioning, and he wasn't happy about it. Robin had never wanted to be the snitch, or the angel of mercy. He hadn't been trying to be _anything_ when he'd told her about Cyborg and Jinx all those months ago: He'd just been trying to spare her some pain when he couldn't take her misinformed happiness any longer. Of course Cyborg had been going to end it - but he'd wanted their relationship to die naturally. A slow, painful way for it to go. He'd wanted, selfishly (he'd at least admitted that to Robin), for Raven to break up with him. Unfortunately Raven didn't give up easily, and any small amount of love was so heady for her after years of emotionless living that she'd seen no issue with Cyborg's waning affections. Robin hadn't been able to take witnessing the cruelty, so he'd done what he thought he had to.

"I suppose that's true. But more importantly, you never tell me the truth either." She spat back. She hadn't felt on the verge of tears like this since that day when she'd explained Sebastian's intentions and asked the other Titans to kill her out of mercy. She hated the way they stung behind her eyes and wobbled through her voice. Like alcohol, poisoning her and causing her to loose control. _Get yourself together, you know how to control these emotions. Your five year old self could do better than this! _She scolded herself fiercely.

"It's not my business," Robin said, and to her he seemed to be pleading. "It wasn't my business last time either."

"I don't care that it wasn't your business, I needed you to tell me! I've never told you how grateful I was for that- you saved me from extra hurt when you told me he was cheating. You must know that," Her eyes held alarm. "Please don't tell me you regret it."

"No... Look, last time you had every right to know, every right to be hurt," Robin stuttered, scrambling to find his feet and get out what he wanted to say. "That's what I was able to say every time Cyborg got angry at me for saying something. This time, not so much Raven. You two have been over for a long time, and whether you like it or not they're a legitimate couple and what they do is their own business."

"Then why does this feel so similar to last time?" She demanded, refusing to let him pass when he made a move to leave. "Why is everyone tip-toeing around me the way they did back then, as if they're scared to be the one to let the secret slip? If it's not my business why are you all acting as if I'm going to go crazy if I find out?"

"We know you've got a lot going on, with Malchior and everything," He said gently, but she could sense evasion again. "We don't want to upset you."

"In case you failed to notice, I am upset!"

"I can see that, but it doesn't make it any more of my business!" Robin retorted, with a note of finality. Raven prepared herself to shriek in frustration - she had been sure Robin, whom she had come to see as the Titan with her best interests at heart, would have told her the truth.

"What's going on here?"

At the sound of Cyborg's voice, her anger boiled over and she whirled around to face the metallic man coming towards them from the direction of his room.

"I know something is going on," She said in her coldest, most dread-inducing voice. She sounded like hatred personified, and Cyborg looked as if each word was smarting. "and you will tell me, now!"

There was a pause that seemed to stretch on for minutes and fill the hallway like a noxious, invisible gas. It made it hard to move, and none of them dared to take a loud breath as the estranged friends stared one another down. The tension coiled tighter and tighter, and Robin was thinking he might pass out from lack of oxygen, or time itself might smash into pieces if something didn't happen soon, until-

"Jinx and I are engaged. I asked her a few days ago." Cyborg said, voice shaky. The broken silence seemed to relax Raven, perversely. The words were too fragile and surprising for her to absorb.

"You've only been dating for a few months." She replied calmly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you- as you said, we're not friends." Cyborg sighed, and suddenly it hit her like a brick. They were engaged to be married. Perhaps it was the exhaustion in his voice that she felt he had no right to express when she in comparison knew what true emotional, mental and physical exhaustion was, or perhaps it was the fact he did not try and give excuses or placate her for once, but this signalled the end of her short-lived peaceful demeanour.

"That's why you've been hanging around me lately," Raven accused. "You wanted me to forgive you. You wanted my blessing, you-"

"I came to realise I wasn't going to get it pretty quickly." Cyborg inturupted dully. "And then I decided I didn't need it."

It occurred to Raven that this was what she had wanted: A complete severance of friendship between them. The remains of any relationship they'd had was cleared away, and now they were simply people who existed in different worlds and didn't owe one another anything. In the end Cyborg's insistences that he would never give up on her meant nothing, because now he was getting married and he didn't care what she thought. It pissed her off. She felt he should owe her something. He shouldn't be able to decide when they let go of one another - his betrayal should have guaranteed her the right to haunt him until she saw fit to cross over.

"How nice for you." she managed to spit. Venom was so easy. "Can I still be a bridesmaid?"

Robin shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He wanted out of that hallway, but he was blocked on either side by two opposing forces and to decide which way to move was to decide which side to stand on. He was happy for Cyborg. Genuinely, he liked Jinx despite her past. She was fun, funny and dedicated. She knew how to get inside the minds of criminals in an invaluable way Robin couldn't, and she had a certain wisdom to her that reminded him of the old Raven. Robin wanted them to get married. On the other hand though, he could literally feel how badly this was affecting Raven. Even if he hadn't been able to, like Starfire he knew that hearing the news would tear her down at a time when she needed all the confidence she could muster to go up against Sebastian. Robin saw the viciously cruel irony in Cyborg marrying the love of his life, while Raven was facing a marriage of indescribable horrors. He'd asked them to postpone the planning at least until after the Church of Blood was neutralised, but then they had dropped a bomb hours after the proposal-

"Sorry, but Jinx has already ordered the dresses." Cyborg replied hollowly. "She and Starfire have already done most of the planning."

Robin sucked in a breath of steadying air as all the blood disappeared from Raven's face. They couldn't postpone the planning, because they wanted to marry before Brother Blood had the chance to take Raven and use her to end the world. Though they'd assured him they would never have wanted a long engagement anyway. Raven looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. Cyborg appeared as if he wanted to say something more, but then he sighed and turned away, headed out to his future wife and her other "Friends"

"You all knew and you kept it from me." She said softly, before his hulking form could completely disappear behind the door. If he heard her he gave no sign.

"I'm sorry Raven." Robin managed. He really was. But there was no way to fix this without someone getting hurt, and unfortunately as usual that person had to be Raven.

"This is sick. You're supposed to be my team mates."

"You haven't been our team mate in a while," Robin shook his head. "Not really."

"I've been a little busy," She retorted stiffly. "With the other man who betrayed me, trying to stop my arranged marriage and pregnancy. So I apologise if that's been keeping me from being up on every detail of your lives."

"It's been going on for a lot longer than that Rae." he winced. It was true. She'd been mentally absent from the team ever since their break-up: In trainings she did what was required of her and nothing more; She was increasingly uninterested in the everyone else's lives; and she frequently disappeared into her own head for weeks at a time.

"Don't call me that." She answered automatically. "That's why he asked her now, isn't it? He thinks I'll fail and the world might end. So he wants to marry her before that happens." She seemed to say the words at exactly the same moment they occurred to her, and the realisation made her slide to the floor in defeat. She was at a loss to process all the things at play here. There were so many horrible motivations for Cyborg to propose, and they came at her all at once.

"That's part of their motivation. But it's for the worst case scenario - no one thinks you're going to fail." Robin said gently. He hated to see her this way. It made him angry at Cyborg for all of this all over again. Raven used to be so strong, but she could only hold herself up against so much, he supposed.

"Sebastian comes for me in five days. He asked her only a few days ago." she said, almost questioningly. Robin nodded in grim confirmation. "So Jinx and Star are planning a wedding between now and.. my wedding. Or are they hoping for a duel ceremony to save money?" Her voice, if possible, became flatter. Like a dead thing floating in the ocean.

"It's not like that." Robin said, though he knew he couldn't reassure her, because she was right.

"It's exactly like that. They're going to treat marriage like a celebration, while Sebastian forces a ring on my finger and shoves me into his bedroom." She snarled. "Or perhaps it will be a dungeon, for dramatic effect."

She could not describe her hurt, but it was bubbling inside her and growing like a foam, pushing at her insides until her heart and lungs felt squashed to her ribcage.

"Stop that." Robin replied, now genuinely angry. He didn't want to hear those things, didn't want to know she pictured the next week unfolding in that way even though now he thought about it he realised she must have been up all night, every night, going over possible terrors in her head. "You're being melodramatic. I understand you're hurt, but you've been this way for months and you only have your self to blame for the others not telling you things like this. You're so busy being angry at Cyborg and Jinx that you haven't had time for anything else. I think... you should use this as an opportunity for forgiveness."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding? I don't care if you don't like the idea of this marriage... you're going."

Robin knew it would hurt her. But she needed closure. She needed to forgive Cyborg before she ripped the team, and herself, apart. She stared at him, open-mouthed and eyes wide, as if unsure what similarly crazy thing he might say or do next. "Star thinks they can have everything ready before Sebastian shows up. I don't want you to make a speech, or get them a wedding gift. You don't even have to smile. I just think, it would be a step in the right direction to show up. Years from now you are going to be glad you made this gesture."

To Raven, everything he said was another betrayal, even if she knew logically that she wasn't being fair. But the thought of taking time off from the training that was her only hope, to attend the wedding of a woman she hated and a man who'd hurt her so badly, while her own arranged marriage was less than a week away... it made her rue the day she'd recited Titan's oath. She didn't speak, and Robin left her in the hallway at a loss. It occurred to her that the cream book Jinx had been hiding from her was a wedding planner, and before she knew what she was doing she'd teleported back into her room in search of Malchior.

* * *

**So there you go: Wedding dramaz! I had to sacrifice Malchior in exchange for it, but I promise the next chapter will be filled to the brim with that sexy British lunatic.**


	11. Saying Goodbye

In the desperate search for the normalcy of an hour ago, she felt pleasure in seeing Malchior's essence rise from the pages and take the form of the paper man. It was the calm feeling of rewinding time back to when life had some semblance of logic. Because Malchior didn't know about Cyborg's admission, or what it meant to her, being in his presence meant none of it had to be real. She could pretend quite easily that she had gone out for lunch and come back, refreshed and ready to crack new elements and verbally spar with the Dragon.

"Ah, Raven..." Malchior looked at her in surprise, eyes widening. His awkward air surprised her, just as it surprised him. The slip-up from before, when he'd touched her shoulder so tenderly it had rooted them both to the spot, refused to leave the forefront of his mind and as a result he didn't know how to proceed. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

In fact, he'd been wallowing in the thought that this might have been her last visit. The idea that she might only come back in a few days to free him, and he would kill her without having the chance to say _something _profound had disturbed him deeply. He wanted to convey some of his feelings to her, so they might both have something to cling to in her dying moments, but didn't know how to do so without becoming overly emotional and breaking free of his prison, or giving some of his plans away. He was aware that his time was slipping away, a peculiar out-of-body feeling for a man who always had nothing but time, and didn't even have a body. Faced with her, he froze like a adolescent boy faced with his first crush.

"There are only a few days left." She answered back, sounding distracted. Thankfully, his irritation at being half-ignored by her brought him back to reality. In his interactions with other humans, he wasn't used to being ignored. Even back when he had been totally human, he'd enjoyed the attention that a combination of magnetism that drew others to him, and arrogance that made him seek privilege above his position brought him. His mother had said the magnetism came from his blue eyes, which pulled you in, and the arrogance came from his father, who'd been killed for the same trait. But he pushed all thought of the long-dead woman out of his mind and focused on the still-breathing one before him instead.

"Well then I suggest you focus, unless you want to drown yourself." he replied dryly.

Raven was at first glad of his insistence she be perfect as he instructed her on the various methods for shaping water to your will. She'd managed to part it once before, but controlling it for extended periods of time was harder. As the session wore on she found her thoughts inevitably drawn back to the engagement, and his demands became taxing and impossible to carry out. She was losing sight of how this would help her fight Sebastian, and was on the cusp of giving up altogether when he lost his patience.

"Something is wrong. You're not progressing as fast as you should be." Malchior interrupted tersely. He expected more of her, and today she was disappointing. He wasn't used to her disappointing him. He was _used_ to her exceeding his expectations. Right now she wasn't herself, and it scared him. He needed Raven to be Raven for the last few hours he had with her.

"I didn't crack fire for a while." She disagreed, Jinx's elfin features swimming behind her eyes, soaked and blurry from the element she'd been trying to conjure. Water affected your brain and perception, so her skull felt waterlogged and it was hard to come up with quick retorts for his comments. She felt off balance, as if one sharp-tongued observation from him would send her sprawling.

"That may be true, but the first element is always the hardest and up until now you've been progressing incredibly fast. All of a sudden it's like you've hit a wall."

Something must have happened, that he was sure of. _But what?_ he wondered. _Nothing had ever fazed her like this before. _

"I'm just tired." she replied, and she closed her eyes as if that was truly the case. However, despite the way she had guarded herself so fiercely this past month, Malchior knew her better than most. He understood her steely facade just as well as any of her team mates, but that knowledge was coupled with the memory of the soft, vulnerable girl from their first meetings. Right now he knew she was lying, and could see her mind retreating to a distant place where he might never reach her. Another reminder that his time with her was drawing to a close, and after that there would be no more chances.

"That is a lie, love." It was his hope that the old endearments would catch her attention.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped. He liked the fire in her eyes when she said it. The darkness in her that revealed itself in a flash when she was angry appealed to him in a very primal way. It was her real self, that she kept hidden because it hadn't helped her before.

"You think I don't know you at all, but I do. Something is bothering you." He knew he was irritating her, and he was glad. It was a way to tease the truth out of her. He would take a Raven angry enough to kill him over a distant and sad one any day. Although, he would take the distant and sad Raven over none at all, if he could.

"You don't know the first thing about me." She narrowed her eyes, as she always did when he showed an interest in her well-being. It wasn't in her to trust him any more.

"Nothing you could tell me about yourself would surprise me." he replied, sure of the truth in his statement. He knew she was both good and bad, and didn't mind. He admired her determination to deny what she was born to be, and loved the darkness he could relate to. After all, he would be a hypocrite if he called anything she'd done despicable, because he could be sure he'd done worse as a Dragon.

"You're so goddamn smug. You don't know everything and you never will - You're not a god, Malchior."

"I don't know about god, but you fell in love with me. That must put me above most men."

In her shock at his bold statement, she made eye contact. His blue eyes were determined, her violet ones incensed. But they both knew this was the truth, and that now was the time to stop dancing around it. They stared until she broke it off, looking down bitterly.

"Apparently I fall in love with everyone, don't feel so special." she muttered. She was confused – he'd never said anything that could jeopardise her willingness to free him before – but she found she didn't care.

"What are you talking about?" he asked sharply. Her words had almost been too quiet for him to hear, and at first he thought he must have heard wrong. Her expression convinced him otherwise.

"Nothing."

"..." He stared at her, open mouthed. The idea that she was this distracted from her magic for a simple _human man _made him want to yell out in rage. He thought that he had been the only one to touch her heart – the idea that they made each other so crazy because they were made for each other had been his life in its entirety since she'd locked him away. To have words from her own mouth challenge that had him shaking against his internal bonds once more.

"It doesn't matter." she sighed.

"That may be so... but I'm interested." Interested was an understatement. He was not merely curious - he had a burning desire to know what she was talking about. The thought that another had gotten through to her _scared_ him.

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled her legs towards her so she could sit more comfortably, in the familiar lotus position that, as a child, she had been left in for hours.

"I thought nothing I could say would surprise you." she said defiantly, looking him square in the eye. To her he looked almost... worried.

"Maybe I was wrong. There is a first time for everything." he said, matching her casual demeanour. She had left that place in her mind where he couldn't reach her, and that was all that mattered right now. It was pointless to try and worm any more information out of her – she wasn't budging, that he could see. If she could shrug it off, it couldn't have meant as much to her as his betrayal had, and that calmed him.

Raven snorted. Malchior thought perhaps now was the time to say that something meaningful. Through this entire month of teaching her magic their conversations had been purely practical. Now whatever was bothering her seemed to have pushed the rule against personal talk out of her mind, and now was his only chance.

"I missed this."

"What?" she asked vaguely.

"Talking to you... about life, instead of magic. Not that I don't enjoy talking about magic but-" He was hopeless at communicating with her. The first time they'd met, when he'd pretended to be Rorek, it had been easy because the slate had been clean. He'd been able to charm her the way he'd have liked to have done now. But he couldn't this time, because she knew of the Dragon, knew there was something sinister and dangerous behind the pretty words. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her the way he wanted because that would remind her of what he'd done all over again, though he doubted she ever really forgot. Her eyes seemed to carry past hurt, memorialised inside to serve as a reminder, a warning.

"Stop it." she said, though her voice was devoid of any passion. She was asking him, not telling him. That made it impossible for him to give up.

"I never meant to hurt you." he insisted. He hadn't even thought about her until it was too late. That was the way he'd always been – he'd had to be that way to survive in Knoll. Being Selfish back then was synonymous with _living_ and Malchior had a natural talent for it.

"Then why did you?" she asked, voice suddenly ragged.

"I wanted power. It's possible years of being imprisoned in this book altered my perception on the things that mattered." _That, and I was stupid. I thought I could have it all. I thought things would turn out the way I wanted and I would appear as a man to break the truth to you gently. _He wanted to tell her the other part, but he couldn't. Not without becoming emotional and accidently setting himself free.

"And now you think I matter?" she had gained control of herself once more, with a bitter little laugh.

"I've always thought you mattered." He scoffed. "Don't be foolish. You're intelligent, beautiful and powerful. One of a kind."

"There really is no need to butter me up. I'll set you free just as soon as I put the magic you taught me to good use." she replied, trying to hide the fact that his words made her stomach ache. Did he know the effect he had on her when he called her such wonderful things? She knew he understood he could manipulate her when he said such things during a constant barrage of charm, but now he was speaking them as simple facts.

"I know, and I have nothing to gain from this. I just wanted to explain that while I did of course lie to you, none of those things I said, about how you're gorgeous and talented and the like, were part of it. Those were all my thoughts as they came to me."

Raven wondered if these things would sound as good in an American accent. She doubted it, and tried to tell herself it wasn't Malchior the person who made her feel so weak, simply his voice. She reminded herself that his _real _voice was that gruff and violent rasp that had come from the mouth of the Dragon, yet had trouble connecting that with the paper man standing earnestly before her.

"I have to go." she said softly, realising she had traded one problem for another.

"Will you be back before the end of the month?" Malchior asked.

"Perhaps. It might be good for me to do some practise on my own." she replied quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"As you wish."

With that his paper body fell apart, and sunk back into the pages of the old book, the eyes last. They looked at her- or rather, _into_ her- bright blue and bleeding ink, before the book slammed shut of its own accord.

Malchior was always either frustrating or infuriating Raven. But within that she found she could always count on the mere sound of him to make her feel better inside. If only there was no Dragon lurking behind the charming, well-spoken knight-in-shining-armour. If only what she saw at first was what she got - then she knew for sure the whole misguided relationship with Cyborg never would have happened. She knew Malchior would be beside her now, instead of in the book she picked up and put back in the hidden alcove, with the other unsavoury items she had in her possession. She knew she wouldn't feel guilty for the way she felt when he called her _gorgeous. _She'd have someone to go to this wedding with, and when Cyborg and Jinx said 'I do' she'd be clapping along with everyone else.

It was easy for other people to tell her daydreaming was of no use, but with a future so bleak they were all she had left. In fact she planned to visit her daydreams as frequently as possible, and if she did end up loosing everything, move there permanently.

* * *

Raven left the tower without telling anyone. The others were all at the table furiously trying to sort out security for the big event, and she couldn't stomach interrupting them. Instead of teleporting all the way she walked from the mainland into the inner city, the hood of her coat raised in protection from the blustery wind that had sprung up this past month and refused to die down. Even if she couldn't handle being directly involved in the wedding plans because of the grim ideas the whole thing raised in her mind, she didn't feel angry any more. The real monster on the horizon was Sebastian, and as she walked she kept an eye out for that particular icy shade of Aaron blue, wary of being snatched before her time.

She was resigned, going about organising herself and her magic on autopilot. There was no point in most of the emotions Cyborg and Jinx's union brought up in her. They were energy leeching and she didn't want her friends to remember her as a furious and unstable banshee. While she couldn't muster up happiness or even acceptance, the least she could do was revert back to indifference and follow Robin's instruction without verbal complaint. Even when he quietly took her aside and informed her the wedding had been pushed back a couple of days, and he was sorry, but they hadn't thought to check a lunar calendar so it appeared they would wed the night before the full moon, she hadn't even flinched. Details were not important to her now. She didn't care about the how, or the why. Only the _what_.

After an hour of walking, she finally came to a pale blue door with a knocker clamped in the jaws of a golden Lion's head the size of her fist. She rapped at it a few times and waited. There came the sound of pots falling from inside - then a man swore, and there was the sound of heavy footsteps rushing to answer the door. A man, naked from the waist up, popped his head around to stare at her.

"Is Carrie here?" Raven asked, already beginning to turn away, thinking she _must_ have the wrong house. As far as she was aware, Carrie's boyfriend was in his late twenties, and the man who stood in front of her hiking his towel up had to be nearing fifty. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome - he was - just that it seemed an unlikely match.

"Yes, I'll go get her. Come in." He opened the door wider to let her enter, and she uncomfortably shuffled around him. The apartment was large and cluttered. It had the air of a half-finished hotel suit, with its mismatched decor. While most of the kitchen the man ushered her into was filled with cheap knick-knacks and boxes of papers, dotted around it were objects that were obviously expensive. Raven had never been in Carrie's home before, but it seemed she had a penchant for spending her pay-check all at once and then being left with diamond chandeliers hanging over mahogany tables- covered in bills.

"Caroline!"

"Coming darling!"

Carrie emerged from an adjoining room, clad in a rumbled men's shirt and nothing else, feathery hair wild. "Raven?" She stopped dead at the sight of her work-mate standing awkwardly next to the oven. Raven cringed as Carrie flew at her, herding her into a chair and grabbing her hands. "What is it? What's wrong? Is it this Aaron guy again? I tried to pull him aside the other day, but then the ambulance arrived for the kid and Dimitri was asking all these questions... I've been calling and calling you!"

"No. Every thing's fine. I just need to borrow a dress." she held her hands up in surrender, thinking of the cell phone she'd bought with her first pay-check, that was presumably dead in the bottom of a drawer somewhere. Carrie looked at her suspiciously, and without another word dragged her through the door and into what Raven assumed was her room. Old, ugly carpet, a huge double bed, and a wardrobe spilling clothes like an overstuffed cushion.

Raven knew this was the only place she could come for help. If she asked to borrow Starfire's clothes she might as well offer to DJ at the reception, because the Tameranian would take it as her acceptance and approval of the wedding. She also didn't want to have to wade through purple minidresses to get to something halfway decent. Carrie was more her speed - even without opening the closet she could already see an awful lot of black.

"Spill it. In a year I've never seen or heard of you wearing a dress once." Carrie crossed her arms, which hiked the hem of her boyfriend's shirt dangerously high.

"Who is that guy out there?" Raven asked nonchalantly, starting to pull out clothes so she didn't have to look her in the eye. Carrie had an awful habit of staring at her until she answered her questions.

If Raven answered her truthfully, she wanted to see Carrie one last time. She knew precious few people outside of the superhero community, and out of all of them the only one she liked was Carrie. She didn't want to loose herself to Sebastian and know the last time she saw her was when Aaron spilt scalding water on that little boy. It made her feel very morbid, and old, to wonder if every interaction she had with a friend would be her last as a self-aware _human_. She didn't want to think about any interactions after, when she was demonic, when she was sure the people from her old life would get especially cruel treatment.

"Oh, that's my new boyfriend. Winston. Isn't he a fox?"

"A _silver_ fox." Raven snorted, separating every dress she untangled from the mess in the wardrobe into two piles - maybe and NO.

"So he's distinguished," Carrie replied slyly. "He's sweet. And he appreciates me. He bought me this necklace." She unbuttoned the neck and yanked down the collar to show off a a square emerald embedded in silver, hanging between her breasts. Raven glanced at it briefly and cocked an eyebrow.

"What happened to the old boyfriend?"

"I told you the other week, he was too childish. Don't dodge the question."

"I have a wedding to attend." she sighed, after a moment of uncomfortable silence. She figured she owed Carrie at least that much of the truth, since she was raiding her closet.

"Victor!" Carrie gaped, hand flying to her mouth.

"How did you know?" Raven demanded, pausing in her dress sorting, taken aback. Carrie had always been perceptive, but that was going too far. She had never even gone into detail with her about how their relationship had ended, or told her that he had someone else. Was it written all over her face?

"Raven you have about five friends, not including me. And you may not pay attention to gossip, but I have a subscription to _Jump Weekly _that I read cover to cover. There are always pictures of Vic and the new girl on your team together... it was a lucky guess." she said apologetic.

"Huh." _Damn gossip magazines._ Raven hadn't even been aware there were pictures of Cyborg and Jinx together out in public. She supposed if she ever left the tower to do more than work, she might see all kinds of things in the tabloids about the Titans. She didn't even buy her own groceries as they were all delivered monthly to the island. It would explain a lot of the stares she got, if she was featured in them too.

"So how do you feel about it?"

"Fine." she replied automatically. Carrie sighed.

"Oh bullshit. You're always 'fine' about everything. I'll believe that you're 'fine' about having a psycho stalker who gives children horrific burns to get your attention because you're a superhero, and I'm sure that kind of shit happens all the time to people in your line of work. But I don't believe you're fine about your first great love getting married less than a year after you broke up." She finished, hands on hips.

"He wasn't my first love." Raven shot back.

"Really? Who was?" Carrie asked, flopping onto her bed with an innocent expression.

_Anything to get her off this topic._

_"_You wouldn't know him."

"I don't need to know him. What was he like? Where is he now? What happened?" she demanded, bouncing up onto her knees. Raven felt like she was suddenly at a sleepover of Starfire's. Instead of making her cringe, it made her feel nostalgic. She hadn't had a real conversation with her in months, and talking to Carrie felt good. So why not trade one red head for another, at least for a few minutes?

"He was British." Raven said slowly. Carrie responded with a series of rapid-fire questions.

"Was he another superhero?"

"No."

"So he was a civilian. Is that why it didn't work out?"

"He wasn't a civilian either." Raven said carefully. It was not worth getting deep into a discussion on Malchior to avoid a deep discussion on Cyborg. She would share the barest outline of who he was, and nothing else.

"Oh my god. he was a criminal!"

"...in a way, I suppose."

"Oh my god. You were in love with a_ British _criminal!" Carrie's mouth seemed permanently stuck open in elated shock.

"Why are you saying 'British' in that voice?"

"Because when you say _British_, I hear a naughty Hugh Grant-type telling you to come to bed! Why have you never told me about this before?"

"Because it didn't end well." Raven sighed.

"Oh I know what you mean, they never end well." Carrie lamented, running her fingers through her hair and looking self-consciously in the mirror. "Winston's okay for now, but I give it two weeks before he quits his job, or reveals he has a wife, or expects me to start cooking for him, or something like that."

"It was a little more serious than him asking I make him lunch." Raven replied dryly.

"I can imagine. And since you won't tell me, I will imagine," she tilted her head to the side. "he was a bad boy, so I'll go with... he wouldn't give up his criminal life for you."

In a way that was right, Raven supposed. If the confusing, veiled conversation she'd had with Malchior yesterday was the truth, he had loved her in his way. He just loved power more, and she was an obstacle. Now that she looked back she could see the way she'd shunned the dark magic he'd taught her, and how that would have shown him she would not be moulded into his perfect woman, one who would step aside and let him destroy everything in his path.

"Hmmn, I'm sorry Raven. And If you want, I can come to this wedding with you." Carrie offered. Raven shook her head.

"Thanks, but the security for this thing will be tighter than-"

"The royal wedding?" Carrie offered.

"Uh, sure. I haven't seen the guest list but I can bet it will be full of superheroes. If anyone found out about it you can bet a dozen psychopaths would have their Death Rays trained on the ceremony. I don't even know where it is yet."

"Well, you have to call me after and tell me how it goes."

Raven looked up to see Carrie smiling at her kindly, genuine in her concern and interest in her life. Her voice caught in her throat so she nodded sharply, knowing she would never call Carrie - she'd be preparing for battle with Sebastian for the fate of the world instead. It was times like these, when she stopped to take notice of someone other than herself or her team, that she could fully appreciate what losing would mean. It wouldn't just mean Sebastian would marry, rape and impregnate her. It wouldn't just mean she would lose control of her demon side and her life. It would mean the death or imprisonment of people the world over. People like Carrie, who were sweet and vivacious and loved their lives.

She should be thinking about those people, rather than Cyborg and Jinx, or how to reconcile the intelligent, sexy Wizard with the evil, murderous Dragon.

"Ohh wear that one!" Carrie cooed.

"It still has the tag on."

"It was too small for me, but it would look great on you," She uncrossed her legs to lean forward and wrench the tag off. "There. Now I can't return it so if you don't wear it, no one will."

"Fine, I'll wear it. But on one condition."

"What?"

"You put some underwear on."

* * *

**Oh Carrie, you cutie. I'm sorry if there wasn't as much sassy Malchior as you guys wanted :(**


	12. The interrupted confession

**Finally, an update! We are moving on to bigger and better things...**

* * *

The Team awoke early on the morning of the Wedding, but not nearly as early as Raven. She'd gone to bed the once she found she couldn't stand the muted air of excitement as the Titan's prepared for the following day in a manner they considered subtle but made her feel claustrophobic and terrible, because she could feel the happiness bubbling beneath their casual actions. It had been growing in the last few days, which had passed faster than any before them. She felt selfish for being the catylist behind their restraint, and felt it best to remove herself from the situation. Consequently, she woke up with the sun.

Fully rested to the point of being unable to sleep any longer, she sat in bed feeling time slip past. It was amazing how quickly it went by when she thought about what was coming. She'd made a conscious decision when she returned from Carrie's, dress in hand, to not notice any of the shoes Starfire was parading in front of Jinx, or the tense conversations Robin had over the phone with the florist, or the sight of Beastboy burning a white shirt with the iron while he yelled advice to Cyborg on the Gamestation. She hadn't wanted to be consumed by them, but now she saw resolving to not pay attention didn't mean all the little details hadn't slipped into her subconscious and started to eat her alive.

Before she knew it she could hear footsteps throughout the Tower. Staring up at the ceiling, she imagined her individual team mates getting ready. Beastboy would be taking extra care to style his hair today. Maybe he would wear it back for the occasion, pompadour style. Robin might be picking which dark sunglasses looked best with his suit because a domino mask really wasn't formal enough for this occasion. Starfire couldn't possibly make herself prettier than she was already, so Raven imagined she'd try on all her outfits, picking something that would dazzle but not outshine the bride because she would have read about that risk in a magazine. Then she would go and help Jinx. If Raven really thought about it, she had no idea how the pink-haired bad luck charm would dress today. It seemed important to know, for some reason she couldn't put her finger on. Raven didn't often devote much thought to clothes, but today was different. A wedding dress was a defining article of clothing. It would be a main bullet point not just of the day, but of the rest of Jinx's (And hers, if she was honest) life, however short that would be. One of many decisions made right in the tower while Raven was in her room, dreading the oncoming apocalypse. That idea was troubling, though Raven didn't understand why: It was a fissure in her teeth her tongue kept coming back to probe.

She remembered the shopping trip she'd taken with Starfire and Jinx that seemed like a thousand years ago. She'd been a different person then, pouring all her energies into hating Jinx. How she wished she could afford the same luxury now. Things like hatred and passion were for people with futures ahead of them. It seemed to Raven that if she won against Sebastian, there was still nothing for her. After all the fighting she'd had to do in her life was coming to nothing. There had not yet been the reprieve that everyone was so convinced should be owed to those who suffered. She felt as if her childhood had been spent trudging up a mountain alone, her teenage years had been spent walking up it behind her friends, and the last few years had been her sprinting up it towards something unknowable but undoubtedly wonderful - and she was about to reach the top to find there was no view, no other side. Only a blank space, boundless and threatening.

There was a knock at her door, but she ignored it. She could sense Robin on the other side, who, as the one who was forcing her to come to this wedding, had the responsibility of getting her to it. Assuming she was asleep, and thinking he had a little more time, Robin left the hall again. Raven dug herself deeper into the tangled nest of sheets she twisted around herself with her toes, trying to loose herself in the cream-coloured abyss. Before long Robin was back, demanding she get up now.

"I'm not helping with the fucking organisation." She mumbled, but he heard. "I don't have to get ready yet."

"Actually, I'm about to leave, and everyone else is already at the venue." He retorted. "The ceremony starts in an hour and a half."

This was it then, she thought. Quite possibly the last free day of her life, spent at this goddamned wedding. She was silent, listening to his presence on the other end of the door.

"I'm expecting you'll be there Raven." Robin said gently.

"I'll be on time. Just go."

"I'll wait-"

"Go!"

There was the sound of receding footsteps. She hefted herself out of bed once they were too quiet to hear and looked around for underwear. It took a full five minutes to find a matching set, another ten minutes to dig through Starfire's room for a pair of tights, and two minutes spent staring at Carrie's dress to collect the courage and motivation to put it on. She sighed, feeling porous. Her emotions came in a rush and disappeared just as quickly, flowing through her like tide water. It was difficult, then, to know how she really felt about this whole thing. She supposed feeling confused was better than sobbing, which she had resolved never to do again, along with screaming. Finally she stood up in front of the mirror, straightening the tights as she went. They were finicky and stupid, but her skin was greyer than ever thanks to a month spent indoors, and with so much leg on display she felt there was no other option.

Raven didn't want to give anyone any reason to stare – she wanted to slip into the ceremony invisible, and leave just as it finished in much the same way. Part of that was blending in to the crowd of superheroes dressed as civilians. Unfortunately, female superheroes were a rather showy bunch, both in costume and in normal clothes. They were used to having their bodyparts bared, for distraction, comfort, and personal preference. Even Raven's costume was considered risque by some. But that was the way she'd grown up- wearing loose, slitted skirts in Azarath that consequently showed off a lot of thigh. Since skirts weren't practical for her line of work, she'd done away with them altogether. Other superheroes had their own reasons. So, in the hope of not drawing attention to herself by dressing as the sole nun in a room full of femme-fatales, this dress might help. It finished just above the knee and only showed off about a centimetre of cleavage, but it was tight, skimming her body and emphasising her hips. Carrie had pronounced it very _Breakfast at Tiffany's, _whatever that meant. Raven just liked the colour - a midnight, inky, deep space black that was fitting in a way, because she was more in the mood for attending a funeral than a wedding. After scrubbing off the chipped nail polish that had been left to harden for a few months, she was ready with an hour to spare. Just the thought of arriving this early and being forced to make small talk with those who knew her history with Cyborg and those who didn't alike was enough to make her consider crawling back into bed. Without thinking she waved open the hidden alcove of her room, to find Malchior's bejweled book winking at her. Desperate to have a friend all to herself today, she found herself opening it.

"Any final tips for using the magic you taught me?" she asked, as he bled into paper life before her.

"Is tonight the night?" His voice wavered with surprise as he opened his eyes and saw her standing there. Body draped in a close fitting black dress, legs darkened by some sort of sheer fabric that went on for so long he held his breathe until his gaze finally hit her ankles, eyes lined in something that only emphasised their doe-like size, and deepened their violet depths. This was certainly not her normal uniform, and he could think of no other reason for the change than the deadline they'd been working towards. Though why an event that required such powerful magic also required such a powerful dress, he did not know.

"No. But I have somewhere to be tonight, and I wont be back to talk to you tomorrow, before..." she broke off, looking to him hopelessly distracted, like a cornered animal. A beautiful one, nonetheless. His tongue was seized with the words before he could shove them down in hope of keeping the conversation civil on her part.

"You look like a goddess."

An angry retort bubbled in her throat, but the order was mixed up when she looked at him. Such statements didn't seem so ridiculously hyperbolic in his voice, especially after the other day. But then, they never had, she thought, with the ghost of bitterness she couldn't find the energy to conjure up. So instead she mumbled a thanks and avoided his eyes.

"If I may be bold and ask about something other than magic, and work... What is the occasion for looking lovelier than usual?" Malchior asked, knowing he was pressing his luck. There seemed to be some fragility to the hard outer shell tonight. He could sense his last chance to crack it open and get inside before she died was slipping away. His control over himself was weakening. He wanted her now.

"A wedding." She replied, realising with a jolt that she was never going to see him again. The promise to free him in exchange for magic would never be fulfilled. Not even if she emerged from tomorrow intact. If she survived as she hoped to, she would banish Malchior to the hidden part of her room with all the other contraband, stripped of her excuses to talk to him. She understood now, that she'd failed in her bid to remain unaffected by Malchior. The line between personal and professional had been crossed long ago. What was wrong with remaining on the side of personal a little longer? Malchior, and Cyborg, and Terra, and Jinx: They'd all helped hollow out the girl she'd been. The cold exterior was still intact and Raven would make sure that never crumbled no matter what Sebastian did to her. But Malchior wasn't hurting her now. Talking to him made her feel alive again, and it was likely her very last opportunity for such a thing.

"You don't appear very happy to be going. Weddings are supposed to be romantic and fun, are they not? Especially for young single women like yourself."

"I don't do romance." she rolled her eyes.

"I seem to remember you liked roses." he replied, and when she looked back at him he was twirling a paper rose in one hand, smiling slightly. The sight of it made her sick, her mind flooded with memories she'd rather forget.

"Oh very funny. Reminders of the past." Raven narrowed her eyes, suddenly not enjoying the conversation any more. Malchior felt himself go cold, having forgotten what it had been like for her. For him, their "Break-up" had been a time of hideous disappointment, momentous self-hatred and seething anger at fate for giving him something so good only to make it impossible to grasp. While he forgot all that when he was talking to her and enjoyed the moment, she couldn't, because she didn't know the truth. Raven stood there, hating him through no fault of his own. It infuriated Malchior all of a sudden, and he felt dangerously close to slipping free of the book.

"I don't find it funny at all." he shot back. "Just incredibly sad."

She blinked, not knowing what to make of the sudden sadness in his eyes. It seemed real... but maybe that was a trick of the light. At this late stage in the game it meant nothing. When Sebastian was through with her, Malchior's betrayal would seem tender in comparison. He was bad, a terrible person, but not evil. Perhaps she was being foolish, but she believed he had loved her in some twisted, inhuman way of his. All of a sudden she wanted to know what he would make of it all. He was an outsider sympathetic to dark magic. He was not one of her friends, who were horrified for her.

"At least I have another suitor on the horizon." She said, and for a gasping second Malchior thought she meant the wedding was her own. Then he saw the tortured expression overtake her face, and his blood ran cold and reptilian, and he knew there was something she had kept to herself, something horrific. The knowledge pulsed from her through the air to him, and he was not aware if it was a magical connection or something more human, that any idiot would sense if he sat still. The intricacies of magical riddles such as that suddenly did not interest him. The importance of questions like that were overridden by the utterly desperate urge to understand her words.

"What do you mean?" He demanded, feeling his powers push against the bindings that kept him imprisoned, like the pounding of a heart growing larger. He should have stopped, retreated back to gaol until he calmed down enough to be of no danger of escaping, yet he needed to hear her answer.

"The full moon tomorrow night. It's what you and I have been working towards. There is a prophecy- another one." she met his eyes, sounding almost exasperated, as if she was sorry to tell a different story with a similar plot device. "I am to marry the leader of the Church of Blood and raise hell on earth." She paused, and that almost-joking light in her eyes dimmed. The sorcerer and his student stared at one another in a moment Malchior thought was too charged to not be magical, before she broke off the contact with a startled laugh that did not warm her features so much as set her emotionless expression in stone. "A child too. Though for all intents and purposes, they are the same thing." She said quietly, the wry mirth fading from her voice with each passing word until they were as flat as his pages and as dark as his thoughts. "Hopefully with the help of your magic it won't come to pass."

For a long moment, he knew nothing but rage. Lush and potent in it's simplicity, as easy to fathom as gravity and just as predictable with it's presence. Just as Raven's default emotional setting was nothingness, Malchior's was insatiable anger and he fell back into it with ease. After all, what else was there to feel? The woman he loved was in grave danger from a fanatical man he could do nothing about while trapped in this _book. _He wanted to pin her down in every way possible, violate her in every way he knew how, and it made Malchior tremble in his weakened bindings as he pictured it. Raven, who was now lost in her own, much less passionate thoughts, would be abused and broken by the time the Church leader was done with her. This man wanted to pervert the purest, most wondrous being Malchior had ever encountered. Murder, with it's hot and metallic taste, ran through his mind. This is what she had been facing this entire month, as he had been obsessed with gaining her favour before he was forced to kill her. This is what she had faced - totally alone.

Raven broke out of her own thoughts to watch him. The emotions the paper man could convey were limited, yet she was shocked by what she saw. He appeared frozen. She'd expected his true self to come out. The dread dragon, who might tell her that was a shame, but worse things had happened. Instead there was frightening silence while a battle appeared to be raging on inside of him.

"I will kill him." Malchior said simply. He knew he had to calm down, but the images rushing through his head like a bullet train could not be stopped. They were purely fictional, but for a thousand years Malchior had kept his own company, and as such his imagination had taken to conjuring the clearest of scenes. Raven, trying to fight with the limited magic he had taught her, because she for some reason could not use her own. Fighting this unknown leader with fire, and then water, until there was none left to manipulate and she was snatched from her friends. Raven, bound and led to an alter for marriage. Raven, tied to a bed and struggling. The Dragon in him roared in outrage. She was his, he wanted her exactly the way she was, and he would let nothing harm her.

This long moment of rage was halted by that thought. It sucked the will to be angry from him and left him feeling emptied and calm. The Dragon in him now had a clear, concise target, and his name was Brother Blood. If he'd been in his right mind, he would have felt excitement and relief. Malchior's problem had been in the fact he needed his blood-lust satiated when he emerged from the book as the Dragon, his superior form. Raven was all he knew in this time, and he was drawn to her darkness and beauty, so she had always been the inevitable victim. Now, there was the church leader. As awful as it sounded, he knew the Dragon inside him would not let anyone else touch her. If she died it would be at his claws only, a terrible thought he felt in his very soul to be true. The notion that murder could not come from love was illogical to the duel sides of him. There was passion in love just as their was in a killing frenzy.

This was what he had lacked last time Raven had freed him – a way to channel all the blood-lust into something positive. Knowing no one in this time, he, as a Dragon, had sought to destroy the only thing he was sure existed – Raven. Now he knew of another, more worthy target, he knew she wouldn't be in any danger. The only one who had cause to fear was this Church of Blood Leader. At least for now. In reality Malchior had no idea how much killing it would take before he was satisfied. He doubted the Dragon in him would be content with just one Church leader after a thousand years of prison, but this new option was far better than the future he'd imagined.

"I _will _kill him."Malchior repeated, only this time there was a plan and a surety to his words there hadn't been before. Brother Blood would be dead before night fell.

"You're not making any sense." Raven shook her head, unable to cope with this today. She had no idea what was happening, but it frightened her enough to want him gone. Malchior seemed to be going insane, talking gibberish, and perhaps at least this proved the man she wished lived between the pages didn't exist. Perhaps this would make it easier to shut him away again, if she survived. She moved to close his book.

"Don't you dare shut that book." He hissed through gritted, imaginary teeth. His own power pulsed all around him, threatening to overwhelm his human mind. He saw Raven through tunnel vision, the end goal of his entire life, heaven as it where. The dragon roared to posses her, but he had to tell her first. He had to explain everything, and he had to give himself only a limited amount of interaction with Raven before he was allowed to kill Blood. If he escaped and had no idea of his whereabouts, the Dragon might give up on waiting and take her immedietly. He needed her to tell him Blood's location.

"You can't stop me." Raven replied.

"That's where you're wrong. I beg of you, do not shut it." He knew what would happen if she shut the book and banished him back to darkness. He couldn't take it even once more, not when he knew she was out here ready to walk away from him.

"Or what? You can't hurt me this time." She said, seemingly emotionless. Here was almost the violent Dragon she remembered. If only he would stop being polite, and talking in that beautiful voice, she could let him go for good. It would hurt like hell, but what wouldn't today?

"I don't want to hurt you!" he roared, struggling to gain a hold on himself.

"I'm not as stupid as I was last time we fought, Malchior." The sudden sadness in her voice, despite her expressionless face, calmed him.

"You were never stupid." he replied, hating himself for ever seeking the dragon.

"I was stupid to trust you." she insisted.

"No, you weren't." Again, through gritted teeth as the truth bore it's way out of him. The moment he saw her believe him, he knew happiness would overcome him and he would escape. If he didn't tell her the truth, the hatred in her eyes would overwhelm him, and he would do the same. There was only time, and prolonging the inevitable. He hadn't meant for it to happen today, but now there was no other future. Blood had to die before he got the chance to touch her. He just had to hope the Dragon would be satisfied. Probably not, but he would rather she die knowing she would not be violated by this church leader and that he, Malchior, was the one responsible for that act of mercy. "I was the idiot, for believing everything would work out the way I wanted. I never intended to leave my book the dragon. Just as I don't intend to today. But I have no choice."

Raven simply stared at him. If she believed a word he said she knew she'd be heading down the rabbit hole to never return. Yet she couldn't help but listen to his pleading voice as the truth poured out, clensing him.

"I was so enamoured with you, so wrapped up in the pleasure of teaching you and having another to share things with, let alone someone so similar to I, that I forgot one important thing. I had been placed into this book a Dragon, so I would leave a Dragon. I've been in this book for a thousand years. Even if I _had_ thought of it, the way you made me remember what it was to feel and lust and need might have been enough to make me ignore it."

Raven's heart felt as if it would explode, as swollen with hope it was becoming. If she believed him, a whole world of possibility would explode into being and change everything. If he was telling the truth and she believed him, that is. If he was lying there was no way she would ever succeed again.

"The point is," Malchior continued, his voice strained as he fought to maintain the bonds she'd placed him under. "when I emerged from the book I was consumed by the need to destroy. It was in me even as a human, but when I am in my Dragon form it's much worse. After a thousand years unable to satiate my thirst for destruction it transcended want and became a necessity when you freed me. You were there. I couldn't help myself. All my feelings for you were worth nothing when I smelt the air, felt the power of a body. All that mattered was killing you. When you managed to return me, I realised what I'd almost done to you, my equal. I was horrified. Even when I felt how weak the bindings you placed on me where, I resolved not to break free in case the same thing happened and I murdered you. Besides, you hated me. That was clear. I had nothing to break out for once I knew that."

"Please stop." Raven said weakly. His words were like honey, but she couldn't give in. There was too much at stake. The entire world depended on her focus and smarts. She would not let herself fall for his lies again. Malchior ignored her, seemingly speaking not to her body but her soul. Through her eyes, into whatever lay behind.

"When you came to speak to me it was like getting a second chance. You never would have done so if you had another option, I understand that now you tell me what you're up against. But it didn't matter and it still doesn't, if you hate me or not. Because I, Malchior of Nol, love you. I will not let you be harmed. I will murder that bastard who thinks he can do so. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." He said, eyes locked on hers, their foreheads almost touching.

"No, don't. I know your story. I know what you're like. You won't just stop at him. I can't let you go." she breathed, paralysed the blazing emotion in his eyes. She'd never seen that expression on anyone's face when they looked at her. She'd caught it in glimpses of course, like when Robin or Starfire looked at each other in the heat of battle when one of them was in danger. But she'd never had that look directed at her, full of the detirmined promise to kill and die for her wellbeing. She'd never thought such a powerful feeling would be accociated with her in any way.

"Oh my sweet, darling Raven..." Paper lips brushed her cheek and if she closed her eyes and listened to that voice caress her, she could make them human. "you have no choice in the matter. Like I said, the bindings you put me under are much weaker than Rorek's. Rather that struggling to free myself, I simply have to stop struggling to stay put."

"No!" She lunged away from him onto the bed, snapping out of her little fantasy. She refused to be tricked by him this time, and with the sudden explosion of anger Malchior saw the first sign of her natural magic. Blue energy that webbed between her splayed fingers, incandescent under her bedroom's lighting. He wondered if she even realised it was there, or if it naturally seeped from her pores when she felt too strongly, as powerful as she was. "I will put you back the moment you-"

There was a scream from out in the hall and Raven froze mid-yell. The Titan's were meant to be out, and in any case that had sounded almost childlike. She looked to Malchior, expecting more of whatever trickery he was trying on now, but he looked just as surprised and alert as she was. The sounds of hysterical crying drifted through the walls until a thump silenced all. And then, as if pulled directly from a recurring nightmare:

_"_Where are you my darling? I have a surprise for you."

Charming, familiar and terrifying- the voice of Brother Blood.


	13. Freedom

**Shortest time between updates of this story ever? Probably. That cliff hanger was pretty hard to ignore. **

* * *

It felt to Raven very much like time was supended as the voice rang out. She knew she recognised it as Sebastian's, but it was taking far too long for her to process what it all meant. Her senses were overloaded, her brain struggling to keep up with the outside world currently attacking her from all sides. First Malchior, with his impossible explanation and threat to escape at any second. There was no way that Brother Blood could be here on top of that.

"C'mon Baby, no need to be shy!"

She twitched back, as if the sound waves had collided with her. In any case it felt like a direct blow to the face. He was closer now, slowly moving down the hall towards her bedroom. Malchior swept silently to her side, not even bothering with manipulating the pages of the paper man to imitate a walk. There was no mistaking the threat in the tone of whoever was calling out to Raven. It was meant to terrorise her and it made the Dragon thrash in his mind.

"I've got something for you. I know my last gifts didn't go down so well but I think what I've got here will make up for it. I don't really blame you for not wanting those people. I mean, what was I thinking, serving them up to you stone cold?" Sebastian yelled.

Raven was in the position to spring- absolutely still, with her lips parted slightly and her expression a mere shadow of how petrified she felt. She didn't react to Malchior's presence. Right now he was the lesser evil. If she believed him, he loved her in his way. He wouldn't try to harm her the way Sebastian would. Disgust pooled in her gut as she listened to him drawl on and on about those people as if he were telling the story of a funny faux-pas he committed on Valentine's day.

"I'm no demon, darling, but even I should have realised how unappetising they would be."

Malchior had a good idea of who it was, even if he had no idea what he was talking about. Nevertheless he asked her, quietly, so the man couldn't hear.

"It's Brother Blood." She whispered back. A second later she knew she should have lied, but her slow mind couldn't keep up. Any moment now, Blood could walk through the door and she'd be no more ready than she would have been if he'd burst in on her in the shower. She was wasting time.

"So I asked my friend Aaron - you know Aaron right?" Blood paused. From the sound of his voice Raven guessed he was nearing Starfire's room. Malchior felt his mind warming with the thought of violence. He couldn't wait to watch the smugness leak out of the Church leader's body, along with every last drop of blood. It required superhuman power of will to keep still, but luckily he was no human. "I said, Aaron, buddy, what should I do to make up for this? I'm just so damn embarrassed and I have no idea what to do about it."

There was another squeal, and Blood broke off to say something in an low, even voice. A whimper, and then silence returned for a pause before Sebastian went on. Raven imagined him punctuating each word with a step, dragging along whatever hideous gift he'd brought her. How did he get into the tower? Did he know she was alone, save for a discorporate Dragon? Questions raced through her mind much faster than ideas to save herself. Part of her wanted to teleport anywhere else, but the sniffling that accompanied Sebastian's speech kept her rooted to the spot. Morbid curiosity and responsibility to save whatever he had in his grasp made her step silently off the bed.

"So Aaron gave me some advice. He said, Sebastian, your intentions were good. Show her you don't give up. Give her the gift again, but this time do it right."

That meant more deaths, Raven thought. Without making a sound, she turned to Malchior's paper form.

"I don't know if what you just told me is the truth. It doesn't matter to me much right now. But if you love me as you say, you'll stay here." she whispered, trying to meet his eyes. A shiver passed through her at her own words. She was in no emotional state to make ultimatums but at this point she really had no choice. She believed Malchior could escape if he wanted from the way he had told her alone, and that meant logically that she had to believe he loved her enough to stay imprisoned all these years.

"I'm not staying here. I'm going to murder him." Malchior muttered back, avoiding her gaze. He could see the blood in his mind's eye. He hadn't seen real blood in a thousand years. Inside his prison, there had of course been pictures in the books he pursued to pass eternity. He'd seen it in Medical journals, morbid coffee table books and crime novels. But it wasn't the same. It didn't shock you on sight the way it did in real life. It held no scent and no satisfaction: It didn't appear like magic, with a person clean one second and drenched in it the next.

"So this time I got you a body so fresh it's still kicking." Sebastian called out, confirming Raven's suspicions.

"Can you not hear the crying?" She hissed, doing her best to ignore it herself. "There is a child out there. You just said you can't control the blood-lust as a Dragon."

Malchior wanted to argue, but let it go for her sake. He'd give her a minute. It was better she be out of his way when he emerged from the book after all. So he nodded. Raven had no time to make him swear on it, as if that would do any good. It was time to met Blood face to face. Striding over to her bedroom door while power dripped from her hands like ink, she prepared herself for the reality that she may have to kill Sebastian right now if he was to be stopped.

He stood just a few feet from her door, holding the aforementioned child by her shirt collar, gun pressed to her rosy cheek. He looked the same as she remembered: Elegantly mused hair, well-built body, and a handsome face adorned with the shit-eating grin that haunted her nightmares. Just like last time he became fixated on her, as if attempting to violate her with his gaze before he ever even touched her.

"He-lo, wifey. You look good."

She noticed the barrel of the gun was almost comically huge in comparison to the child's tear-streaked face. Raven didn't have to know the weapon by name to tell it wouldn't put a hole in the girl's head so much as reduce it to skull fragments flying through the air. _What was the church's fascination with harming kids?_

"My friends will be here any moment." She replied coolly, cutting to the chase. The wedding would be starting soon. It occurred to her that she didn't even know who Cyborg had picked as his best man, or if any of the Team had a part in the ceremony at all.

"I've had Aaron watching the mainland." Sebastian retorted, dismissing her lie. "So considerate of your friends to give us some alone time."

"You can't force me to marry you today. The Full moon isn't until tomorrow night." She crossed her arms and stared him down, as if she were dealing with a difficult customer at work, poking holes in the logic of their complaint. Sebastian stared straight back, grinning.

"It would be stupid of me to make the same mistake twice. Last month you escaped and there was no time to recapture you. It would have been too risky to hold onto you for another month, but I'm sure we can manage to keep you occupied for one day."

"I won't go easily."

"Then neither will she." He said, eyebrow raised. Before Raven could ask what he meant, he'd repositioned the gun in a practised motion, so it pointed to the girl's side instead. "How long does it take for someone so small to bleed out? And don't even bother with your magic. I've still got Christ's Shawl."

The girl whimpered, and Raven wondered if he'd picked a kid that resembled Melvin on purpose, or if that was an unhappy coincidence. She couldn't be older than six - Those blue eyes and blond pigtails would drive the public into a frenzy over her disappearance. She even had missing front teeth.

"Here's what I'd like to happen-" Sebastian said, when she said nothing. "You, teleporting the three of us back to my headquarters, where you and I will be married by my favourite priestess. Here's what I don't want to happen- You, trying something stupid and forcing me to kill our flower girl, then getting _dragged_ back to headquarters where you and and I will be married by my favourite Priestess. Those are the only possible outcomes, so make a decision."

If Sebastian was wrong about there being no other outcomes, Raven couldn't see it. He had pushed her into a corner there was no easy way to get out of. Any move she made would be full of risk.

Raven knew that no matter how cute the average human would find the trembling little girl, she was not worth giving into blood over. The entire world was at stake here, and the sad fact was the toddler was more likely to grow up and become a serial killer than she was to find the cure for cancer. It would not be an act of evil if Raven refused to teleport to Sebastian's preferred destination, one step closer to the end of the world. The act of evil would always belong to Sebastian, no matter what. As for being dragged out - she couldn't _see _any church members around, and she always had Malchior's magic to fall back on.

Yet Raven couldn't do it. Teleporting to Brother Blood's Church to face marriage, and the end of the world, were not exclusive to one another. There was always the chance to make her escape in between her arrival, marriage, and the conception of a child. Letting this little girl die would not save the world. It would just make her dead. Sure, Raven was more likely to survive if she teleported to a safe place now, or simply refused to move, but she would not do either of those things if she could save the girl _and _escape. It would also be foolish to assume Sebastian hadn't put measures in place to stop her teleporting.

"Fine." she breathed, face a blank page.

"So Aaron was right about the heroics." Sebastian's face lit up with laughter at her acceptance. "I mean, of course it _seems _obvious considering your job description: 'Waitress who moonlights as a vigilante'. But your stunt at _The Wall _with the little boy really revealed your weakness."

Raven was silent. So Aaron really had burnt that kid on the Church's orders, _and for what? _To see if she would risk her safety to help an innocent victim? The fact that they had no qualms about creating the victim for their little experiments only showed how twisted their religion was. Though worshipping her father showed it quite enough for her tastes.

Sebastian smirked like an arrogant Zeus. The girl squirmed, confusion as to whether she was free or not.

"Where to?" The sorceress finally dead-panned.

"Grab on to my arm and I'll show you."

"That's not how it works." she shook her head, a spark of hope blazing to life in her chest at the thought he might be ignorant of how her magic worked. _Maybe if he overlooked this detail, there would be other things he didn't know about her..._

"That's how it works for me. I'm telekinetic, honey, remember?"

The spark was diminished, but in reality reminding her had little effect: It was impossible for her to feel worse about the situation. Reluctantly, as if his bare skin would burn hers away like acid, she took his free arm. She knew she would have to let down her mind barriers for this, and liked it about as much as the acid fantasy, but saw no other choice. Thinking of Malchior listening in her room, she realised she was disappointed at his obedience. Even if he'd come barrelling into the hall as a Dragon and killed the lot of them, it would be better than a lot of the ways this could end.

* * *

A thousand year old need to be free drummed loud in his ears, but Malchior fought back to be still as he listened to their short conversation. There was not a moment in which he wasn't imagining ways to kill Brother Blood, this cocky little child who somehow had Raven in his grasp, in the most violent manner possible. Every part of Malchior screamed for release but he was patient until he heard what he wanted- Blood forcing her to take him back to the Church headquarters. Raven realising had no other choice, if she wanted the child to live. In other words, they would lead him to the hive of the organisation. He could imagine it crawling with those who conspired to take Raven. He was going to massacre them all, whether or not they stood in the way of murdering the monster that stalked her, and emerge with Raven (hopefully still alive).

With this knowledge he would stay in that book no longer.

All it took was a mental movement as easy as sighing. He did not need to consciously make a move to break Raven's bonds – they were so weak, so eroded by his powers that they snapped immediately, and he was flying. They spellwork was admirable for having been cast under intense pressure, and would have held one of her human friends, or a low level demon for all eternity nicely, but they were no match for him. He was the Dread Dragon Malchior, and he was aching for freedom.

Malchior saw Raven's room melt into blackness around him, as if it were made of wax that suddenly melted into one shapeless cage around his mind. Everything was darkness, because he had no ears and no eyes. After the weightless moment of flight, there was the uncomfortable sensation of being displaced from everything he knew, until he was tethered back to earth (such a different feeling than the prison) with a jolt. Still, he was insubstantial. He was nothing. He heard nothing and felt nothing but a short passage of time until he became aware his thoughts were solidifying. Each one had transformed into a particle, and they were hurtling towards each other like magnetised dust. He kept the image of Raven stepping forward to meet blood in his mind, knowing it was something important to hold onto. If he remembered that his mission required patience in order to reap the greatest reward, perhaps he would use this self-control to emerge as a man instead of the Dragon.

While he solidified thought by thought into something tangible, he tried to discern whether the buzzing in each of his particles was magic or unadulterated excitement. For so long he had craved the unattainable physical sensations of everyday life, and knew the first touches of everything would be mind-blowing, whether it be the feel of grass between his toes or a cold wind sharp on his face. There were, however, two actions he looked forward to the most, with equal anticipation – killing Brother blood, and holding his little demoness.

Her face caught in his mind, something passionate lighting the emotionless expression from within. Then there was an unexpected weight to the world.

Suddenly Malchior was off balance, and he fell forward onto something hard. There was a second where he was moving through the air, and then sweet pain bloomed across his forehead as he connected with the ground. It didn't particularly hurt, but after so much numbness it was like an explosion of sensation. The pain throbbed like a living thing, pressing against his skull in a way that told him for sure he must have one now. He lay on the ground for a moment, his head pressed against Raven's carpet, letting the pain spread and then dissipate. He kept his eyes tightly shut, listening to his own heart beating and trying to gauge the limits of his body. While it was clear he had not emerged as the Dragon, he could not be sure he had emerged fully as a man.

Realising he could not feel the edges of himself without sight for reference, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were his hands, splayed open and poised to help push him back up onto his feet. They were pale, with rather long fingers. Adorned with burns and wet with centuries old blood, as if he'd been fighting Rorek minutes ago. He supposed, to his body, he had.

Malchior stretched his fingers out, revelling in the feeling of Raven's soft grey carpet against the callouses, and thought the sight of it was more miraculous than if God himself had appeared before him. They did not seem like his hands, but they must have been, for they moved when he told them to, and they looked just as he remembered. He inhaled to steady himself, and a barrage of surprising scents hit him. They seemed naturally occurring, but he pinpointed the smell to the dark brown, half-melted candles sitting on the carved alter he had taught Raven at. It was astonishing to him, to have seen the candles a few dozen times before and only now be realising they were fragranced.

His senses were assaulted and it was wonderful. He could have sat there, getting used to having a body again all day and experiencing Raven's room anew all day, if it wasn't for the nagging urge to kill inside him. Remembering the girl he'd left the book to save, he jumped to his feet. Expecting the weight of his body this time, he managed to avoid losing his balance again, and immediately looked to the alcove Raven had kept his book for the last few years. With the brief and amusing thought that she would be angry he'd invaded her space, he riffled through the various chests for weaponry, knowing he had little time before the magical signature her teleportation had left in the hall began to fade. As a test, when he found a knife he liked he summoned it instead of simply extending his hand to pick it up. His blood worked into a frenzy, and in the space of a blink the cold metal was sitting in the palm of his hand.

The feeling of magic in his veins was even better than that of having a body. In the book he'd been able to make a temporary paper form, and although that wasn't even close to the same thing, it had given him the comforting feeling of containment. Having his soul, or his mind, or whatever you called the essence of Malchior that Rorek had imprisoned, floating around had been extremely unnerving. Magic, however, was dearer to him than being safe in a physical shell. Magic to the mage was oxygen, mental stimulation, sex, warmth and sustenance all rolled into one: every necessary thing on it's own paled in comparison. To see proof it was still his to command put everything else out of Malchior's mind. All that mattered now was using said magic to destroy the Church of Blood.

* * *

**A little shorter than I'd like, but I thought I'd save my energy for the next super violent chapter. Which I promise will appear soon!**


	14. Imprisoned

**I cannot emphasise how sorry I am for taking so long to update not only this story, but my others too. Oddly enough, the better my life is, the more difficult I find it to write. The words just havn't been spilling out lately, thanks to how happy I am, of all bloody things. **

* * *

Sebastian was like a knife in Raven's brain. An unwanted, painful and violating presence in her mind she could not throw out once she'd let him enter, no matter how hard she thrashed. It hurt, but she had no choice but to go where he led her, as if he were a parasite infecting her will with his own. She teleported blind to arrive at what she assumed was the current headquarters of the Church, a shriek from the little girl cutting through the air to announce their arrival.

Her vision was blurred and her thoughts racing until Sebastian withdrew, the barrier safely closed between them for now. It took her a moment to fully collect herself, yet even then she felt odd. Contained somehow- shut off from the buzzing undercurrent of the outside world she was so used to sensing. She pushed the thought aside, with bigger things to worry about for the moment, barely repressing a shiver as Sebastian turned and grinned at her, the ghost of his presence still inside her. He hadn't let her hand go, so she yanked hers away instead. This caused him to roll his eyes, as if she were a sulky teenager determined to ruin the day with a bad attitude.

Raven looked around: They were in a foyer of an old but huge and expensively decorated building. The word that sprung to mind was _traditional_, and that was shocking in itself. Even Raven, who knew magic didn't usually mean dark and creepy, had expected a converted warehouse covered in pentagrams and the blood of livestock. Not that side tables covered in lace, walls lined with book-cases and highly polished stair rails meant those sorts of sinister things weren't hiding around here somewhere. The Church was all about disguises. She let her eyes flick from doorway to doorway, trying to guess at the nature of the other rooms in the building. None of them seemed to lead anywhere good, or offer the promise of escape.

"Anyone can teleport in, but no one can teleport out." Sebastian said, watching her carefully. The feeling of containment immediately made sense and Raven had to marvel at whatever magic was able to hold her, even while hot panic bubbled inside her. "This house is also teeming with Church members who can barely wait for our wedding, so I wouldn't try and sprint out the fire escape either." He grinned, the nervous energy gone now that they had arrived and it seemed Raven was well and truly trapped. Even the little girl had stopped squirming and crying. She stared intermittently at Raven and around the huge room, eyes wide, until the faint sounds and vibrations of movement drew their eyes back to the doorways.

A mixture of men, women and children began to converge at every door. They were of all different ages and races, and dressed in radically different styles. Some wouldn't have looked out of place hanging out at _The Wall, _some looked like bank tellers and a few here and there could have been models. None of them would have looked out of place on the streets of Jump, yet Raven couldn't help but imagine them in the brown hoods of Church followers in action, and wondered how many of them had been at the mall the first time she'd met Sebastian. These were the Church followers, and looking into their faces was a hundred times worse than looking at Sebastian somehow. Perhaps because it was easy to believe the insanity of one man, and difficult to comprehend the collective insanity of the group.

"Welcome home." An older man addressed her as he stepped out of the crowd. Raven realised she recognised him from the group that had shown up at her work to ask if she wanted to surrender early. "I am Aden, one of Sebastian's advisors." Like the others, he was smiling at her, but thankfully his expression lacked the terrifying and intense combination of sheer delight and awe she saw reflected on the other faces around her. After a pause in which Raven searched the creases of his face and said nothing, he nodded to Sebastian, who released the little girl from his grasp. She immediately tore away from him, but rather than attempting to run to the door as Raven had expected, she headed straight for Aden. Sebastian handed his gun off to a young boy that rushed up to collect it, and laughed when he saw Raven's expression of horror.

"You did perfect, my precious child." Aden assured the girl. "Thanks to you, Raven has been returned to us."

Raven blinked, disbelieving. _The kid had really seemed petrified for her life, and the entire time she had been one of them? A child actor?_ It was inconceivable that anyone, let alone this little girl, would be good enough to fool Raven's empathy. She would have had to really convince herself to be terrified in order to radiate the appropriate emotions. The little girl turned to look back at Raven for a second, shyly.

"Can Mommy come back now?" She asked. Aden chuckled and she squealed again, only this time in joy. Raven guessed Mommy had been used as a kind of threat, and in that case the fear would have been very real for the girl. _This is sick. _A blond woman was pushed to the front of the crowd to be reunited with her daughter. The next thirty seconds were spent watching the two reunite with a fierce hug, the woman praising the little girl in a tearful whisper for her part in retrieving Raven. A few people from the clumps in each doorway called out similar congratulations, until the little girl was beaming proudly and it struck Raven that she wanted to strangle the brat. That self-satisfied smiling was a sure sign of a monster in the making, and Raven thought it wouldn't have been long before the girl started volunteering for the chance to lure women into the cult headquarters with her acting talents anyway.

Raven couldn't sense any regret from the group of people, who were acting as if she were a kidnapping victim rescued by the quick-thinking of Lassie the dog and her plucky owner, and brought home just in time for Christmas. It was as if she had been taken to a different world, where the imminent rape and forced marriage of a young woman was cause for jubilation.

"All right, we'd better get you to your room." Sebastian clapped his hands. His eyes searched among the crowded doorways until he found the favourite Priestess he'd mentioned previously. "Loretta, come with us."

A woman whose smiling face seemed lit from within by joy stepped out from behind a burly man in a suit. Unlike her fellow worshippers, she was clad in the traditional robes of her church. Not the brown hooded robes they had adapted two hundred years prior to aid in the need to be disguised at all times, but the ancient style used by Priestesses for at least a thousand years in rituals. Raven stared in disbelief. The grey garment that had long loose sleeves but also somehow managed to be both backless and plunge down to her navel should have looked like a costume for vampire-themed pornography, yet her shining face kept her looking as innocent as a twelve year old.

"Yes brother." She breathed, and Raven tasted bile. She wasn't quite used to the utter devotion these followers were displaying towards Sebastian. She (unbelievably) preferred Aaron's way of talking about Brother Blood as if he were a friend. It made him seem... less powerful, she supposed. A lot less like he had an army ready to die in order to force her to marry him and a lot more like she might be able to escape from his clutches. The priestess turned her gaze to Raven, and if anything she looked even more as if she couldn't quite believe how divine reality had become.

"Mistress Raven." She sighed, and it occurred to Raven that she had never been addressed quite so tenderly in all her life. That was, if she didn't count Malchior, as she was reluctant to do. "We'd been preparing for your arrival for months and months anyway, but when you gave us the slip-" The Priestess shook her head, as if re-living the initial grief of discovering Raven was afflicted with emotional or mental problems serious enough to cause her to do such a thing. "We got working straight away on something extra."

_Excellent, _Raven thought sarcastically, her fear growing so intense it became nausea. Even after a month of dreading the Church would catch her, it didn't seem real that they had. Perhaps because she'd put so much faith in Malchior's magic saving her. Right now she still had the opportunity to use it, but didn't like the idea of fighting through the hoards of worshippers. The atmosphere in the house was so charged, it felt as if everyone was straining for time to turn so that the wedding could happen. They were ready to die to see this marriage made official, and she didn't like the idea of killing every last one of them when the Titan's might still realise she wasn't missing the wedding because she was bitter enough to disobey orders. She didn't even want to think about Malchior, or what he had said... once again, it hadn't seemed real. It was foolish to lie in wait for him, when it felt like his passionate omission had been a fever dream brought on by fear.

Sebastian grabbed her by the arm and began to lead her up the stairs. Raven let herself be taken, the feel of each pair of eyes on her skin a needle prick she longed to escape. Loretta followed a few steps behind, carefully watching her every move. Though Loretta thought Raven to be the most important and wondrous person she'd ever seen, in this human form she appeared confused. Raven clearly did not want this marriage, and that alone cinched it for the Priestess. A demoness so powerful and clever was bound to be tricky and wilful, even if she didn't know quite what she wanted. Loretta was confident however, that in Raven's demon incarnation she would be thankful for the firm hand they would have to provide.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Sebastian took them down the hall, pausing to turn and grin at Raven before he opened a set of impressively carved double doors. She caught a glimpse of a woman's face etched in an eternal scream upon the wood before she forced her eyes away. _How perfect. _She didn't want to see any more of the mural, and she didn't get the chance to even try before Loretta nudged her inside. It was a big room, with an unlikely low ceiling that made Raven feel claustrophobic as soon as she stepped over the threshold, her senses changing from slightly clogged to blocked completely. She knew there was more magic involved, but couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

The focus of the room was a huge circular table of dark unevenly-stained wood, with a naturally pitted surface. A cold feeling of fear hit her as soon as she saw it, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was about the piece of furniture that made her feel so uneasy until she got closer and noticed the leather straps hanging ready from the underside, and realised whatever substance had dyed the table such an odd reddy brown colour might not have been wood stain after all. Even more disturbing was the huge glass pane that stretched across the far side of the room. It looked over a huge lawn, and gave Raven a better idea of her surroundings. Past the bordering rose bushes and fences, there were a number of huge mansions that seemed of similar proportions. She knew they were relatively far from the city and the shore, because she couldn't see any tall or urban buildings. Just the few mansions so large they hid street level from sight.

She immediately hated the view. The floor-length, wall-wide window seemed like a sinister version of the one at Titan's Tower. Why did she have the feeling Sebastian had planned it that way? She wondered briefly if she could run straight through it, or if whatever was making her feel so claustrophobic would stop her.

"More spell work." Sebastian announced. It was as if he could read her mind, though she thought it more likely he just liked to gloat about having her well and truly trapped. "You're a determined woman, Raven. I expected nothing less from you, even in this pitiful human form you've been devolved to. I suppose you've been looking for escape routes on our short little walk just now?"

Raven glared back at him, and Loretta sighed sadly. _Of course she'd been thinking of ways to escape._

"It looks like my fiancee isn't going to answer me."

Sebastian directed his comment to Loretta, and Raven guessed it had meant to be funny, though it lacked any quality of humour. Her captor's face had grown colder by a few degrees, verging on harsh now, rather than handsome.

"In any case, you needn't bother with stupid fantasies like that any more. You can't leave this room until you're married. Literally."

Raven had suspected as much, but it still felt like her heart was sinking to the pit of her stomach as she followed Sebastian's hand gesture with her eyes, to find he'd left the doors wide open. He smirked at her.

"Go ahead, try it. Loretta, step aside so my future wife has a clear path."

Raven didn't move. The doorway seemed as vast and desolate as a desert, or space. There was no one on the landing, and by the sounds coming from the bowels of the house the other followers had gone back to their business. She imagined them preparing various wedding paraphernalia, shining rings and smiling the entire time. It was probably around a minute sprint from this room to the front door, which she could conjure fire to burn to ash if it refused to yield. From there she would be out of the house, though not out of danger. The Church would be on her tail, and she would have to hide as best she could until the full moon had passed and she was safe for another month. But from outside she'd be able to teleport anywhere in the city, perhaps beyond if she put in some effort.

She wanted so badly to start running, but she knew it was pointless. She could feel the magic pressing down on her, confining her to the room. She would not give Sebastian the satisfaction of seeing her fail to walk through those open doors.

"I'm fine here thanks."

Sebastian let out a hearty laugh. There would be no escape without her powers unless she could force someone to let her out, somehow. Physically, she was about as strong as an average athletic girl of her age. She wasn't built for strength, but a useless combination of grace and, judging from the appreciative glances she imagined blood and his followers were giving her flared hips, bearing children. If she'd possessed as much strength as any one of the other Titan's, she might have entertained the notion of taking either one of them (but preferably Sebastian) hostage until whoever controlled this magic shield took it down. As it was, it seemed the only path available to her was to convince one of the followers to set her free.

"I'm glad." Sebastian assured her as he strode past, out of the room. He seemed to delight in stepping through the doorway, turning once he'd finished to smile at her.

"Loretta, please ready both the room and the lovely demon for tonight. I will be back after nightly prayers."

"I thought you couldn't marry me until tomorrow night!" Raven blurted out, startled. The idea that time had curled in on itself to trick her, and the full moon was already here was too terrifying to believe, yet at the same time not out of the realm of possibility.

"So true, beautiful. That's why I'm not coming back to marry you." He said, cocking an eyebrow suggestively before he closed the doors on the two of them.

The moment the words had left his mouth she knew exactly what he meant, but Loretta's lack of reaction forced her to doubt herself for a moment. She had bent at the knees to take a closer look at the straps on the table, and in the silence of Sebastian's absence Raven could hear her humming lightly.

It didn't mess with the prophecy one bit to conceive a child out of wedlock, just for the child to be born out of it. No version of the prophecy she'd heard ever claimed she was a virgin when she married, which, when she thought about it now, seemed like an auspicious thing to mention if it had been destined.

So, Sebastian would extend the rape and marriage over two consecutive nights. She wouldn't be overwhelmed - how kind of him.

The moment the doors shut, she was unable to contain her anger. She lashed out with her powers, only to have the shields rebuff her energy so forcefully she fell onto her behind, hard. Lacking the incredible amount of strength and motivation it would take to get her back on her feet, Raven simply slid backwards until her shoulders hit the wall, despair threatening to overcome her. It clogged her mind, making any thought that didn't involve what Sebastian planned to do to her tonight impossible. It was replaying over and over in her mind before it had even happened, and she could think of no way to escape.

In this environment, she might as well have been blind. She had no sense of outside the room and there were no clocks, so she couldn't trust the time. In any case, she thought Cyborg's wedding should be starting without her any minute now.

Loretta stood tentatively by for a minute before she struck up conversation.

"The shield is impressive, is it not? Every high member of our Church came for the ritual we had to set it up. Even the ones from other countries. There were hundreds of us taking part. Most of us don't have any magic- but that's okay." Loretta said quickly, as if Raven would be distressed by the news. "There were other ways for us to contribute."

Raven turned her head away in disgust, not wanting to know or think about what people like Loretta had to do for such a ritual. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Priestess frown sadly and walk away. Raven tried again, half-heartedly, to find the barriers still to strong to overcome. Her magic hadn't eroded it one bit, and she supposed it would take one extremely powerful burst to destroy it. Power she didn't have. Perhaps if she'd spent her time with Malchior learning spells to break shields, she'd be able to make her escape.

Before long Loretta came back with a length of scarlet fabric thrown over her shoulder. She still had that disturbing glow about her, and Raven was so busy hating her that she didn't realise it was a robe until she held it out to her, smile radiant.

"I'm not putting that on." Raven snarled, cringing away from her offering. She refused to be complicit in any part of this. She would rather be violated in this dress, the one she had put on of her own (or Robin's) free will this morning, than church vestments.

"You want this." Loretta replied firmly. "You're just confused now. You've been this way for too long."

"Been what way?" Raven cried.

"This unnatural way the Azarathians forced you to be. They've had you all mixed up since childhood, and stunted your growth. You don't want that life with those people you call friends back in the city, not really. The true Raven we know wants this marriage."

"You've never met me before. How the hell would you know the true Raven?" she snarled back.

"Oh, I've known you all my life." Loretta smiled, undaunted. "I've grown up in the church and your story has always been my favourite. Maybe it's because it's been unravelling during my lifetime, or maybe it's more than that. Maybe I've always loved the idea of you because we were destined to meet, and I was fated to perform your marriage ceremony – not that I ever dreamt of such an honour. In the entire book of blood, the parts that involve you always held me the longest."

Raven sat frozen, drawn in by Loretta's intense gaze for a moment before she blinked and shook her head, skin crawling.

"You're insane. I'm a person, not a biblical figure. I'm still alive, and you can still help me."

"That you think I'm insane now, while your true desires and thoughts are being repressed by what Azar's done to you, is confirmation that everything going on here is 100% right. I would sit and pray with you, so that the transition back to your own sanity is smooth and peaceful, but there are more practical things I can be doing to help right now." Loretta said gently.

Raven, loosing hoe, tried a different tact. One in which she tried to invoke the attractive arrogance and haunty manor of Malchior, which she felt would become a demon.

"You think a human like_ Blood_ is worthy of a demoness like me?" There was a dark edge to her voice that lit a little hope inside her. Raven felt so depressed and terrified, she sounded virtually demonic with desperation. It was her wish Loretta might think she had to choose between her side or Sebastian's, and she might win. Instead, Loretta looked worried.

"Oh, Raven, please don't worry about that. He knows everything a man should, to be worthy of you. I can tell you from personal experience that he shall satisfy you in every way." She said earnestly, with a tone of trying to convince Raven.

"Personal experience?" She inquired, forgetting to act as if she were accepting her demonic transition.

"Even though the church is his birthright, Brother Sebastian and the elders insisted he test himself to be worthy of the honour of being your husband."

"Oh Azar." Raven recoiled from the woman in revulsion, her mind plunged back into the pit in which she imagined Sebastian climbing on top of her. Backed into a corner as she tried to put as much distance between herself and Loretta as possible, she could almost feel the restraints they'd have to put around her wrists and ankles. The thought of cocky, murderous, twisted Sebastian placing his hands on the most intimate places on her body... places she'd never thought would be touched by man or woman, places she'd secretly longed for Malchior to explore...

Raven shivered but set her jaw. She stood, refusing to let herself be in the submissive position for now. She didn't have to imagine this. Right now she knew she was wallowing in self pity, acting weak. She had over a decade of mind training behind her and if she was strong enough, she wouldn't even have to be present in her mind when Sebastian came to do what he wanted.

"Raven-?" Loretta started to speak, pleading.

"Shut up." Raven replied harshly. If she wanted to remain sane, she would have to twist reality with her mind. Pretend it was Malchior lying with her. If that was too painful, she could invent a man in her head. Hell, maybe even a woman, she'd always been curious. Anyone was better than Sebastian.

The priestess fell silent, but looked as if she would talk again. Raven turned to tell her on no certain terms that they would not speak again, but she was cut of by a piercing scream that rent the air.

* * *

**More Malchior and marriage to come. Cyborg and Jinx still have to say "I do", after all.**


	15. Saviour

_Finally got this up, thanks for waiting my lovelies. There is some violence in here, but I'm sure you're all desensitized from television anyway. _

* * *

From the outside, it looked just like any other abandoned building on the outskirts of Jump. It was closer to a death trap than a traditional wedding venue, with glass peppered gravel in place of grass and piles of rusted and broken building supplies in place of flowers. Inside, however, it was a different story. Starfire's determination and sheer joy at helping provide her friends with one of the happiest days of their lives, despite it very likely also being one of their last, had transformed the interior of the old building into a page from one of her wedding magazines, all the while meeting Robin's safety requirements. It's remote location ensured that no one would suspect it as the gathering place for three dozen or so superheroes, and the fact the entire wedding party was armed couldn't hurt either.

"Do you, Cyborg-"

The hush was broken by laugher from the guests, and Cyborg grinned. The officiant paused until it died down. The people here were some of their closest friends, but no one outside the Titans would ever get to know his real name. Jinx smiled ruefully – she didn't even remember hers. Their hero identities were who they truly were anyway, and yet, there was nothing like a wedding to remind a group of superheroes that they were really like everyone else.

"Take Jinx as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Jinx, take Cyborg as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Of course."

"Then you may now kiss the bride."

A cheer went up and the crowd jumped to their feet, clapping, stomping, whistling. Bursts of light shot up into the air and lit the room with colour. Starfire meet Robin's eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, her hands clasped over her heart. Robin felt his own chest swell with emotion, until he looked around the guests to see Raven was still missing and disappointment deflated it. He hadn't seen her before the ceremony began, but had hoped she would slip in at that last minute, or reveal she'd been standing way up the back where he couldn't see her the entire time. No such luck.

He turned his gaze back to the newly-weds, who still hadn't broken their kiss. Jinx was on her tip-toe, her other foot cocked back in movie-style bliss, arms thrown around her new husband's neck. Even through the kiss it was obvious Cyborg was grinning. Nothing could ruin the moment, not even the knowledge the world might begin it's downward slope into complete chaos tomorrow. Perhaps it even made the wedding more special for those who knew the truth. _One last perfect day with friends, _Robin thought, his throat a little hoarse already from shouting.

"Get a room!" Beastboy hollered next to him. The couple finally broke apart, to more cheers. Jinx's cheeks were pink, her face radiant with hapiness.

_If only Raven had been here to see it. Even if it had hurt her._

He knew Raven was one of the only people on this earth who could appreciate beauty in a thing that personally hurt. It was one of the things that made her so special, even if she hadn't exactly been herself lately. All those years before Trigon, when she had watched the world and thought she would end it. All of the things she had admired, and thought she'd never have. It hurt Robin to think she'd lost that capacity to see past the human to the magic because of their actions handling Cyborg's affair. They should have expected how it would affect her. They shouldn't have thought she'd go back to being emotionless until she got over it, as if that was a healthy way of getting over Cyborg anyway.

He wondered what she was doing now. If she was holed up in her room as usual. Perhaps she was reading in an attempt to loose herself in another world, or maybe she was sleeping. Maybe she'd intended to come, but lost her nerve. Robin knew he should have insisted on waiting for her. He didn't like to think about her alone in the tower, knowing all the Titan's were here.

As Cyborg looked over the crowd he too saw Raven was missing, though he wasn't as surprised as Robin, and he couldn't even begin to describe himself as disappointed, not with the love of his life on his arm and the friends he was surrounded with. He wished she'd come, but he didn't dwell. He looked to his wife – today was their day. They would spend 'as long as they both shall live' together, happy, even if that wasn't for very long.

* * *

Though teleportation seemed to the powerless a mysterious and untraceable form of transportation, like all magic it left signs that the powerful could discern. The sudden connection from one location to another was tangible to Malchior, though by the time he reached the hallway the last lingering traces of Raven's magic were fast fading. Acting quickly before they disappeared forever, he closed his eyes and tapped into the stream she'd created when she took Brother Blood wherever it was he'd intended. When he opened them, he found himself standing outside a mansion on a very quiet street.

It shocked Malchior to find that _Mansion_ was the only way he could describe it. Usually so good with words, the adjectives for the place eluded him. He had no idea what to call the style of decor, or the type of neighbourhood it was in. He could only marvel at the smoothness of the road it bordered, the cleanliness of the street, the uniformity of the other mansions and the unthreatening nature of the place. He had assumed that for Raven to be afraid of this church, it would be at the very least large, or masquerading as something imposing. The Mansion shocked him with it's strangeness, but then, he supposed he was used to raiding castles. He had no idea what the markers for power and danger were in the modern world.

He walked to the front door, each step jerky and awkward. His body felt stiff, as if his joints were still defrosting from a century of immobility or inexistence, or whatever it had been. Added to that was the fact he had come into earth in the same condition he had left it - not only were his hands still slick with a mixture of Rorek's blood and his own, he could feel the protest of each wound his enemy had given him each time he moved. He vaguely remembered Rorek taking a small chunk of flesh from his left shoulder, and the sting when he lifted his hand to try the door handle seemed to corroborate the memory. Luckily he was right-handed, and nagging pains only spurred the murderous urge inside him. Nothing would stop him, that he was sure of. Brother Blood and his followers could stud his body with bullets and he would continue undaunted until Sebastian was reduced to hunks of flesh.

The door was locked. It wasn't a problem. One sweep of his hand and the mental hinges were reduced to gas form. There were two men inside, but Malchior didn't take the time to see their faces. Before they could open their mouths to yell, the uncontrollable rage had resurfaced and they were dead.

While the kills were silent and satisfying, they were quicker than he would have liked. Still he was pleased to see that being in the book hadn't hurt his aim or strength. A dagger through the chest, the ease of the blade cutting through flesh and then a jolt as the tip hit bone, withdrawn and the same done to the second man. Malchior felt no guilt, only exhilaration at the feeling of movement. The men had been here, thus they'd been puppets of the church. Now they lay, puppets with strings cut, unable to put any more work into harming his precious demoness. The beast inside him wasn't nearly satisfied, but thankfully a shout from above alerted him to fresh prey.

"Intruder!" Two more men appeared, one calling out as he ran at him, the other running to the wall and smashing his hand through a small glass window. Malchior musings on why the hell anyone would wound themselves before a fight was cut short by the shriek of an alarm. He cringed, trying to shy away from the assaulting noise. He'd read about sirens of course. They were modernly used to warn of danger, and he supposed setting it off was the man's purpose in putting his hand through glass.

Relishing in the feeling of his muscles tensing and straining, Malchior pulled back his arm and threw the dagger as best he could towards the oncoming man. It sailed through the air and hit its target, lodging itself in his eye. He collapsed, either dead, crippled with pain or feigning, and Malchior ran past him on the stairs towards the second man, who was frantically trying to load his handgun. Malchior grabbed him by the neck as if he were a kitten, and hit his head against the wall, enjoying the sound of skull connecting with wood. If all the church members were like this, there would never be any need for him to transform into the Dragon, or use any magic at all. It was quite disappointing really, and though Malchior found himself grinning as he towered over the man, there was still a part of him that worried. If this didn't satiate his blood-lust, and so far he doubted it would, would he be a danger to Raven? He felt the Dragon inside of him still considered her the ultimate prize.

"Where is the demoness?" He growled. There was no better feeling than standing above a fallen and helpless enemy, using any means necessary to convince them to tell you all of their secrets. So in a way, he liked that the man refused to speak. He lent down to better look into his eyes.

"Each time I have to ask you this question I will take great joy in removing a limb."

The man's jaws tensed, but he thrust his chin up in defiance. A brave, stupid one. After a few minutes it became clear he wasn't that attached to any of his arms. Malchior would have loved to have risen to the challenge, but there wasn't enough time. Raven's terrified face was blindingly clear in his mind, so he left the man there, a nugget of a person, whimpering but otherwise silent, faith apparently binding his tongue.

With no idea where Raven was, he simply carried on the path he was already on across the landing. There was a large set of elaborately carved doors, and he almost chuckled when he got close enough to make out the picture. A fierce and delicately featured women pictured over a dearth of tortured figures. It didn't take a genius to see it was Raven. Unable to believe how easy it had been so far, he was too rapt up in his success to prepare himself for the scene he encountered once he entered the room.

Somehow, the first thing he saw was her face, despite the fact she was sitting off to the side and he supposed he should have been more focused on ensuring her captor, a young woman in revealing robes, wasn't armed. Her face was on him, as expressionless as always - except for her eyes. They met his and he could see, buried deep in the violet expanses, a burgeoning star-burst of hope and surprise. Suddenly every memory he had of her from his time in the book became black and white in comparison to the high definition that came with the possibility of touching her. A whole realm of possibility unfolded between them, hyper-real to Malchior and dream-like to Raven.

He was not how she'd imagined. For a start, he was not physically the Malchior she had first met. She supposed that made sense, because the Malchior in the book had really been Rorek. The skinny man with the long white hair and the scarf obscuring half his face was long dead without ever knowing her. The dark-haired man who had just burst into the room was a stranger to her, yet he could be no other man than Malchior. She couldn't work out how she knew that, but she did. Her confidence in his identity only increased when he spoke, and out came the silken British accent that made her shiver.

"May I suggest," Malchior found himself saying, slightly hoarsely. "that if in your next life you try and hide someone, do not hide them behind a door carved in their likeness?"

He directed his comment at the woman, somehow finding the will to tear his gaze away from Raven's motionless form. Everything else seemed slightly blurry now, his eyes straining to move back to her while his mind struggled to keep them on the present danger. It was almost as fierce a battle as that between Man and Dragon in his mind.

"Who are you?!" The woman asked fearfully. It was then Malchior decided not to kill her immediately. She was clearly not armed, or able to physically overpower him. She was the sole church member looking after Raven for some reason other than protection.

Her voice seemed to trigger something in Raven - she stood as if electrocuted, as if compelled by a higher power.

"Never mind that." Malchior said quickly. The sudden movement of Raven's got him thinking of what it would be like if she collapsed into his arms. "We're leaving."

"We can't." Raven said. He almost flinched at her voice, emotionless and regretful. "_I _can't. Not until I'm married. My magic is being suppressed."

"Brother Blood will be here any minute." The woman said, half to herself. She seemed intensely relieved, as if she had forgotten Raven was imprisoned herself.

"Let her out." Malchior ordered, through gritted teeth. Now that he was more focused on freeing Raven than Raven herself, he could sense the barrier too. Some seriously dark magic had gone into it. That would make it harder to break, but not impossible. However, he had no idea how much energy he could afford to expend at the moment. He knew he was still bleeding - he had been since he'd escaped the book perhaps thirty minutes earlier. The wounds Rorek had inflicted on him would be causing blood loss that would have any normal human out cold by now. Even though he didn't even feel slightly dizzy at the moment, using powerful magic he hadn't practised for a thousand years couldn't be the best option right now.

"I would never." She hissed, nostrils flaring. "I am to marry the Gem to Brother Blood tomorrow night, hopefully while she is already pregnant with his child."

This was the wrong thing to say. In less than a second she was pinned against the window that spanned the length of the room by her throat. Malchior had no problem killing a woman, though the thing he was currently choking could hardly be called a lady. The thought of someone violating Raven settled into him, like poison.

"Then I guess I will have to kill the celebrant." he snarled.

"I can't let her free even if I wanted to!" The woman gasped. "Only Sebastian can do it."

Malchior let her fall to the ground just as her eyes rolled back into her head. She wasn't dead, but now there was no point. She was useless.

"You came."

He turned to see Raven looking at him intently.

"I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you."

"But _you _hurt me. And yet you're here."

"I-" Malchior meant to say he loved her, but somehow the words wouldn't come out. It was almost like telling her that now would be an admission of defeat. One of the last things she would ever hear, or something like that. Love was reserved for safe times, when adrenalin wasn't pumping through them. "I told you that was a mistake. I wasn't trying to trick you."

There was silence, while she considered this.

"You look different."

More silence. Malchior had no idea what to say - in truth, he had no idea what he looked like. The last time he'd seen his reflection, he'd been about eighteen, and that had been over a thousand years ago.

"We'll wait for Sebastian." He muttered finally. "Once he gets here, I'll kill him."

"That won't free me." She shook her head. "He didn't cast the spell alone. And the elders can elect a new Brother Blood to take his place, if they have to."

"I''ll kill everyone else who cast the spell then too."

"They'll overpower you."

Malchior snorted.

"You can't fight a hundred men at once. Not without practice. Not with me standing here, vulnerable and useless." Raven added bitterly.

Malchior could see her point. The dizziness from his blood loss felt like it was setting in. Turning into the Dragon was not an option, not with Raven here. She'd end up in the pile of corpses. He had to break whatever magic held her here before he became too weak.

Footsteps on the stairs alerted them to visitors, and before Malchior could gather himself Raven was at his side. Not touching him, but close enough. Staring into his eyes imploringly, uncharacteristicly afraid. Resisting the urge to put all his energy into kissing her, he closed his eyes and put all he had into destroying the magic that imprisoned her.

* * *

_I haven't really read over this, So I'm really sorry if it isn't up to scratch. I just didn't want to wait another few weeks to find the time to do some proper editing. _


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